Hyderabad: In the two months since the beginning of 2026, HYDRAA has quietly reclaimed 87.83 acre of land worth at least Rs 10,804 crore, which points to a systematic encroachment on government land, parks and waterbodies across Hyderabad and its surrounding districts.
The numbers are drawn from the agency’s own posts on X between January 1 to February 28. What makes the data striking is not just the scale, but how long some of this land had apparently been sitting in others’ hands.
The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) hit the ground running on January 2, protecting 12.17 acre in Gandhamguda, Gandipet mandal, which is estimated to be worth Rs 1,200 crore. Two days later, it fenced off park land in Kukatpally worth Rs 35 crore.
On January 10 alone, HYDRAA moved on two fronts, saving 15 acre of government land worth Rs 3,000 crore in Miyapur’s Makta Mahabubpet locality from illegal registrations and reclaiming 4.01 acre belonging to the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) in Keesara mandal.
Through the rest of January, the agency worked its way across the city, from parks in Bachupally, Jubilee Hills, Gopalnagar and Gachibowli to encroachments in the Sabari Hills layout.
February operations
HYDRAA picked up operations in February. On February 6, it moved on three separate locations in a single day – 3.20 acre of government land in Borabanda, 11 acre inside the full tank level of Sumarukunta Cheruvu in Dhulapalli village and temple land in Nagaram. Four days later, it fenced a four-acre water body, Jangam Kunta on Madinaguda road in Kondapur, valued at Rs 700 crore, alongside encroachments on Alwal Kotha Cheruvu.
The single biggest operation so far came on February 12, when HYDRAA reclaimed 11 acre near the Madhapur Hitech Exhibition Centre and demolished “hundreds” of shops within the FTL of Mondikunta Cheruvu. This operation recovered assets worth an estimated Rs 2,200 crore.
On February 21, it protected seven acres in Kondapur worth Rs 1,400 crore, where the government plans to build a college and other educational institutions. Lastly, on February 26, it protected 2,700 square yards of land allocated for public use in a layout located in Neknampur area of Gandipet mandal.
The data is telling. A significant portion of the encroached land sits on or near waterbodies such as lakes, tanks and their buffer zones, which have been swallowed up by layouts and colonies in Hyderabad’s rapid and often unregulated expansion. Parks earmarked in approved layouts also figure repeatedly.
Court pushes back
However, HYDRAA’s aggressive pace has not gone unchallenged. The Telangana High Court has repeatedly questioned the manner in which the agency conducts its operations, with concerns going beyond paperwork.
In the most recent instance, Justice NV Shravan Kumar directed HYDRAA to remove the fence it had erected at the Full Tank Level of Mondikunta at Khanamet in Serilingampally mandal. The order came while hearing a writ petition filed by local agriculturalist G Mahipal Yadav, who alleged that HYDRAA officials arrived over a weekend, demolished sheds on his land and put up a fence. This, he said, was without prior notice and without accounting for a revised FTL map issued by the Irrigation Department.
During the hearing, the judge asked HYDRAA’s counsel how the agency could enter land and raise a fence without following due procedure or serving notice. HYDRAA has been directed to remove the fence and file a counter-affidavit.
In a Narsingi case, the court directed HYDRAA to remove fencing within 48 hours while allowing a board claiming the land as government property to remain, noting that fencing during the pendency of a civil dispute was impermissible.
On March 2, the High asked HYDRAA to maintain status quo on the land in Kondapur, which the agency said was meant for a government college.
HYDRAA chief undeterred by court cases
However, the HYDRAA Commissioner, AV Ranganath, does not seem to be deterred by the court cases. “Land grabbers have many tactics up their sleeve and try to mislead the courts. If someone can genuinely prove ownership of the land, we will not interfere, but that is not always the case.” the Ranganath said, speaking to Siasat.com.
“We receive dozens of complaints through Prajavani and WhatsApp. However, we carry out due diligence before taking any action. We give out notices to the concerned parties and try to have a meeting involving complainants, encroachers and any concerned department officials. Even in some cases, when we cannot give out a notice, we erect a board on the land and wait for 72 hours for someone to come forward to claim ownership before erecting fences,” he added.
15,000 acre land still encroached
In HYDRAA’s jurisdiction, which includes 2,000 square kilometre within the Outer Ring Road (ORR), about 15,000 acre of government land are under encroachment, according to HYDRAA’s estimate based on revenue records.
This estimate does not include Waqf or endowment lands, which are also 40 to 50 per cent encroached by land grabbers, Ranganath said.
Since its inception in July 2024, HYDRAA has reclaimed 1,350 acre, of which only 675 acre were government land, the HYDRAA Commissioner said.
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