Hyderabad: Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) Commissioner AV Ranganath, on Wednesday, April 8, inspected the Banjara Lake located on Road No 01 in Banjara Hills, which has turned into a foul-smelling dump, according to locals.
MLA Danam Nagendar accompanied him. During the inspection, the HYDRAA Commissioner noted that the water body was being polluted by sewage and plastic waste carried from upstream.
He asked for a comprehensive report to be prepared regarding the protection of government land on the upper part of Banjara Lake and the rejuvenation of the lake.
Warning of strict action against constructions that block canals and cause flood risks, the Commissioner assured that the lake will be preserved without encroaching on residential areas.
He said a transparent inquiry will be conducted by summoning both complainants and encroachers, and lake development works will commence as soon as permission is received from the government.
Apart from this, locals have also alleged that the Taj Banjara Hotel has encroached on the path to the Kattamaisamma Temple, blocking access.
The Commissioner also inspected Prajanavi’s complaints that four to five ponds, including Ongoni Kunta, Kanakayya Kunta, Marrivanka Kunta, and Errakunta, located in the vicinity of Mamidipally, Shamshabad, have vanished.
Locals had also complained that residential areas are being inundated during the rainy season because flood canals connecting these ponds are being occupied or arbitrarily blocked, leaving nowhere for rainwater to flow.
He assured the locals that a meeting would be arranged with encroachers and if they did not comply, HYDRAA would directly intervene and remove the encroachments.
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