Hyderabad: Stating that concrete structures have been built in the full tank level (FT) and afforestation foreshore zone of the Himayathsagar drinking water reservoir, activist Lubna Sarwath has written to Telangana chief minister and HYDRA commissioner AV Ranganath to take action and clear the encroachments.
Her letter to the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRA) comes at the time when the agency has been demolishing illegal encroachments, especially on lake beds. So far, over 40 acres of land has been reclaimed by the Telangana government, which involves the demolition of illegal properties belonging to Congress, BJP and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leaders.
In her letter, Sarwath stated that according to the preliminary digital study of the NRSC satellite map with cadastral layer, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) Master plan 2031, the Google earth satellite imagery, and the Dharani land portal to an extent, a major part of of Kotwalguda V, Shamsabad M in Ranga Reddy district is the Afforestation Foreshore zone for Himayathsgar Drinking water Reservoir and some part is FTL of reservoir.
Attaching satellite images in her complaint, Sarwath stated that concretized structures built in the FTL are “totally illegal” in the afforestation zone of the Himayath sagar drinking water reservoir. “It is for protection of such illegalities and shameless culture that the (previous government) KCR-KTR regime used to lift up the flood gates and remove precious drinking water instead of removing the encroachments,” she said in her complaint to HYDRA.
She urged HYDRA commissioner and the chief minister to “direct the encroacher himself to evict the area, himself to demolish and remove the concretization building etc. and contribute to the afforestation as laid in the law”.
