Hyderabad: The Forum for Good Governance here has suggested the Congress-run Telangana government to expand the scope of the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRA) agency and create a similar body for the entire state. FFGG, which has been advocating against malfeasance and corruption from years, made the suggestion keeping in mind “victims especially the poor and the middle class people”.
In a letter address to chief minister Revanth Reddy, the Forum For Good Governance suggested the government to create the ‘Telangana Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (TGDRAA) via an Act to give legal status to the agency. “Seeing the good work being done by HYDRAA there are lot of demands from districts for similar agency, especially from Warangal which is the worst sufferer due to encroachments in Tanks and Nalas,” said FFGG general secretary Padmanabh Reddy.
Forum for Good Governance (FFGG), while appreciating the chief minister’s decision to constitute HYDRA to protect government assets, including especially water bodies located in and around Hyderabad, said that there are certain problems being faced by those purchasing flats. “Builders have constructed flats in Full Tank Level (FTL)/ Buffer Zone and sold the flats to unsuspecting people mostly belonging to lower middle class and middle class families,” it stated in its letter.
The organisation added that when HYDRA authorities demolish such flats/ houses, the builder should also be held responsible and his properties to be confiscated. It also suggested that people who lose their flat/plot should be compensated. “In case that is not possible, government should provide alternate land and financial help for the persons to construct his dwelling (Indiramma Houses),” said FFGG.
Moreover, the Forum for Good Governance also stated that there is a need to make government agencies verify ownership before registration or approval of plans. Specifically, it said that the Telangana irrigation department, which is the owner of the tanks, should give out information about areas falling under the full tank level or buffer zones or lakes to the registration departments like HMDA and GHMC.
It also called for action to be taken against officials for dereliction of duty, connivance with builders which lead to “grave suffering and injustice” to unsuspecting purchasers. “HYDRA is created to restore the encroached tanks to their original status, what is being done now is just clearing the encroachment by demolishing the structure, after demolition the construction material along with silt should be removed from the tank bed,” FFGG added.
The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring Agency (HYDRA) has reclaimed 43.94 acres of encroached land within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) limits in just three months since its inception. HYDRA Commissioner AV Ranganath has submitted a detailed report to the Telangana state government, which reveals that HYDRA’s enforcement teams have demolished 18 properties within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) limits.
The list of demolished properties includes those associated with several political figures and business leaders. Among those are Pallam Anand, the brother of Congress leader Pallam Raju, whose alleged illegal structure in the ORO Sports Complex was demolished.
