HYDRAA reclaims govt land in Hyderabad after boy's complaint on cricket play area

Hyderabad: The multi-disciplinary state agency--Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA)--removed encroachments and reclaimed 39 acres of government land in the Raidurgam area here, following a complaint from a boy who was denied access to the area for playing cricket.

Acting on the complaint, HYDRAA on Saturday cleared the illegal structures put up by a real estate company on the land parcel, which was being offered for sale, HYDRAA officials said on Sunday.

The boy, who wrote a letter to HYDRAA a few months ago, stated that a huge parcel of land was being encroached upon and that a lake in that area had also been encroached, a senior HYDRAA official told PTI.

He said that he and others used to play cricket in that area, but recently they were stopped from entering, and the real estate firm had closed access to the land.

Based on the complaint, a HYDRAA team visited the area and, after conducting a preliminary enquiry, found that roads were being laid inside the land and that the lake had "vanished." After further inquiries, revenue and other department authorities confirmed that it is government land.

Though the matter was under dispute and pending before the court, which had directed all parties to maintain status quo--the company had fenced the area, put up boards offering plots for sale, and was trying to sell the land, the official said.

After a series of inquiries and meetings, HYDRAA went ahead with the demolition of illegal structures on the land parcel on Saturday, he said, adding that the boy’s complaint led to the action.

"If any litigation is there, then they should follow the court order. But here, the company laid roads and offered the property for sale," the official said.

The illegal structures, including the compound wall, were demolished in the area, and new fencing and boards were erected, marking the land as government property.

A police complaint was also lodged against the real estate firm, the official added.