‘HYDRA’ma in Hyderabad puts Ministers in a spot

Sources say Congress leaders also spending uneasy nights with agency continuing demolition drive

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRA) agency, constituted by the Congress government with multiple objectives, including demolitions of illegal structures, has started giving the party’s own Ministers and leaders the jitters. Despite widespread criticism that the agency is being used to target political rivals of the Congress, party sources say a few Ministers and Congress leaders, who own palatial buildings in the limits of the twin reservoirs of Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar, are spending uneasy nights with HYDRA continuing its demolition drive.

In fact, they are said to have summoned HYDRA Commissioner AV Ranganath and asked him to desist from taking up any further demolitions in the buffer zone of the twin reservoirs. However, with Ranganath reporting directly to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on any action to be taken up, the Congress Ministers and leaders are apprehensive whether Ranganath will listen to them.

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For them, and others who own buildings in the Full Tank Level (FTL) or buffer zone, the most worrying factor is a memo issued in 2007, incidentally by the Congress government led by the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy. The memo clearly lists out regulatory measures and demarcations applicable for both Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar, and says no development will be allowed upto 500 metres from the bund or FTL in the downstream and the same should be declared as a prohibited zone. This apart, beyond 500 m and upto 1000 m (one km) downstream, only low rise residential development (ground plus two floors) was to be permitted. Beyond 1000m downstream, all developments such as residential, commercial, IT units, hotels, public and semi public developments could be allowed except for 68 specific industries.

Meanwhile, the nightmares for the Congress leaders got worse on Saturday when HYDRA demolished film actor Akkineni Nagarjuna’s N Convention Centre at Thammidikunta in Madhapur. The actor responded saying the demolition was unlawful and claimed there was no encroachment and moved the court the same day, managing to get an interim stay from the High Court, which asked HYDRA to maintain status quo on N Convention.

Amidst these demolitions, there are also debates among the people over the reasons for HYDRA’s sudden burst into action. Many are considering these demolitions a political tactic to divert public attention from other burning issues like the crop loan waiver fiasco, increasing seasonal diseases and lack of facilities at hospitals and the breakdown of administration in gram panchayats among others.

Verbal duel between parties

HYDRA’s demolitions have also triggered verbal duels between political parties. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said HYDRA was set up to save lakes from encroachments. “People are appreciating the demolition of unauthorized structures. Notices are being served before taking up any demolitions,” he said while speaking to media persons in New Delhi. However, countering the Congress government, union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy said the government was enacting a new drama using HYDRA. He pointed out that most of the unauthorised structures had come up when the Congress was in power earlier and nothing was done then.

“How was permission given for the structures then and how were taxes collected?” he asked.