The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency on Friday fenced nearly 200 acres of government land in the Puppalaguda-Khajaguda area, a prime area adjacent to the city’s Financial District. With this rescue, the value of the assets that HYDRAA protected crossed ₹1 lakh crore.
This is a remarkable achievement for a government agency.
HYDRAA teams, along with revenue, municipal, and police officials, carried out the operation on World Environment Day in the Puppalaguda–Khajaguda border area of Gandipet mandal in Ranga Reddy district. The agency secured 198 acres of land belonging to the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA). Officials valued the protected land at approximately ₹30,000 crore based on current market rates.
The land includes ancient granite rock formations estimated to be 2.5 billion years old, as well as natural caves and ecologically sensitive areas. HYDRAA said it had responded to the complaint by the Save The Rocks Society, a city-based NGO that advocates for the preservation of billions-of-years-old Deccan rock formations.
It cited the Telangana High Court’s directions to protect the heritage site from encroachments. Revenue authorities resolved boundary overlaps between villages, confirming around 200 acres as government land after accounting for small allotments to religious institutions. HYDRAA fenced the HMDA portion while preserving the identified private and allotted areas.
This operation adds significantly to HYDRAA’s cumulative achievements. As of September 2025, the agency had reclaimed 923.14 acres across 96 drives, clearing 581 encroachments and protecting assets valued at ₹45,000–50,000 crore.
By early January 2026, the total had risen to around 1,350 acres, valued at ₹65,000–65,650 crore. In the first two months of 2026, HYDRAA added another 87.83 acres valued at ₹10,804 crore. In April 2026, a major drive in Ameenpur secured 861 acres worth over ₹15,000 crore. Other actions, including lake restorations such as the 52.2-acre Mushkin Cheruvu protection valued at ₹5,500 crore, contributed further gains.
With the Puppalaguda drive, the overall value of lands and assets secured by HYDRAA since its formation in July 2024 has crossed the ₹1 lakh crore milestone, reaching almost ₹1.26 lakh crore.
Though HYDRAA officials informally confirmed the figures to THE WEEK, no media release has been issued. HYDRAA calculates land value not based on government rates but on market value. For instance, the current Pupplaguda land value of ₹150 crore per acre is based on the ₹237 crore in the Raidurg area, which is at the intersection of Hyderabad’s IT district and Financial District, two upmarket areas that house hundreds of multinationals and IT companies. Pupplaguda, located near these areas, could comfortably command a value of ₹150 crore per acre.
HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath stated that such operations are crucial for protecting government land, lakes, parks and the city’s natural heritage for public use. Officials indicated the Puppalaguda site could support future eco-tourism initiatives while remaining free from encroachments.
