The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA) on Thursday reclaimed nearly 11 acres of encroached government land. The authorities also cleared large-scale illegal constructions near the Madhapur HITEX Exhibition Centre, safeguarding public property valued at around Rs 2,200 crore and securing the long-neglected Mondikunta lake near Hitec City, a major IT district in the city.
HYDRAA is a specialised state-level body constituted by the Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to protect public assets, reclaim encroached government land, safeguard lakes and water bodies, and coordinate rapid response during urban emergencies and disasters. The CM has handpicked A.V. Ranganath, an IPS officer known for his straightforwardness and technical expertise, and gave him the free hand to take speedy action against encroachments.
HYDRAA works in close coordination with revenue, municipal, police and disaster management departments, using a combination of field inspections, satellite imagery, grievance redress platforms and legal verification to act against illegal occupations and high-risk constructions.
Over the past months, HYDRAA has emerged as a key instrument in the government’s push to restore urban commons, prevent further degradation of water bodies and send a strong deterrent message against organised encroachment networks. According to the officials, the agency has so far saved the government lands worth more than Rs 70,000 crore.
As part of the Mondikunta lake operation, one of HYDRAA’s largest in recent months, the agency removed hundreds of temporary sheds and more than 30 shops that had mushroomed on lake land and adjoining government property. Officials said encroachers had extended constructions deep into the lake’s Full Tank Level (FTL) zone, using a nearby temple as a notional boundary to justify occupation.
According to HYDRAA officials, complaints were received from residents through the agency’s Prajavani grievance programme, pointing to systematic encroachment of Mondikunta in Survey No. 53 and government land in Survey No. 55. Acting on the directions of the commissioner, HYDRAA teams, along with revenue and GHMC officials, conducted field inspections and verified land records.
A preliminary inquiry found that nearly 11 acres of public land had been illegally occupied. Revenue officials confirmed the encroachments in a hearing held on January 31, which was attended by both officials and those accused of occupying the land. Satellite imagery from the National Remote Sensing Centre was also examined to establish changes in land use and the extent of illegal occupation.
Despite a court stay on the government land, HYDRAA found that new sheds and shops had continued to come up at the site. Officials said the structures were being commercially exploited, with information suggesting that rents of up to Rs 20 million per month were being collected from the establishments.
Following due process and after giving time to the occupants to vacate, HYDRAA launched the clearance drive on Thursday under heavy police deployment. Temporary sheds, mechanic workshops and iron and steel shops were dismantled, and fencing was installed around Mondikunta to prevent further encroachment.
Local residents gathered in large numbers during the operation and welcomed the action, describing it as long overdue. Many said the lake, once a functional water body, had been steadily shrinking because of illegal occupation and dumping. Residents have now urged the authorities to develop parks on the reclaimed government land and to restore and beautify Mondikunta as a community asset.