Hydraa demolishes illegal stone crushing units amid BRS heat

HYDRAA demolished illegal stone crushing units and RMC plants in Rangareddy following environmental concerns and Opposition pressure. The action triggered a political row, with the BRS alleging links between one of the units and a Minister in the State Cabinet

Hyderabad: In a partial victory for the main Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s continued exposure of illegal stone crushing units on the State capital’s outskirts involving a unit owned by a company belonging to a powerful Minister, the government carried out raids and demolished several stone crushing units and ready mix concrete (RMC) plants on Tuesday.

The demolition drive was carried out by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) with deployment of heavy police force and heavy machinery to dismantle the units including Raghava Stone Crusher near Kothwalguda and other places.

---

The demolitions sparked a political controversy with the BRS alleging that the government had shielded the illegal stone crushing units, charging that one of the units run by Raghava Stone Crusher belonged to a powerful Minister in Revanth Reddy’s Cabinet. The operation of the illegal crushing units was earlier exposed by BRS leaders including its general secretary RS Praveen Kumar, party spokesperson Krishank and MLC Shravan Dasoju, who visited the stone crushing unit to highlight the illegal mining. Ever since, pressure had been building on the government to act.

On Tuesday morning, HYDRAA staff assisted by officials of Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TGPCB), Mines and Geology, and Revenue Department, deployed heavy machinery and police personnel in four locations including Gowlidoddi, Vattinagulapally, Gopannapalli, and Kothwalguda of Rangareddy district.

At Kothwalguda in Shamshabad mandal, authorities demolished Raghava Stone Crusher and other units including Tirumala Metal Industry. Officials found that nearly seven acres of natural hillocks within a 16-acre spread had been pulverised into dust without valid mining or PCB permits. According to HYDRAA, despite repeated notices from the PCB and objections from the Revenue Department, these units continued to operate. HYDRAA officials confirmed that the machinery at the Raghava unit was completely dismantled to ensure that stone crushing cannot be resumed at the site in the future.

The HYDRAA enforcement drive was triggered by alarming reports of negative impact to the environment within ORR limits, an official press release claimed. TGPCB’s complaint to HYDRAA highlighted that these units were operating day and night, creating thick plumes of dust and severe air pollution.

“These units were not just violating land norms but were contributing to a massive loss for the State exchequer. Many had pending electricity bills worth crores and were illegally using high-capacity diesel generators to run their machinery after their power connections were severed, further choking the local environment,” a senior HYDRAA official stated.

Apart from Kothwalguda, HYDRAA also targeted eight major crushing units and 13 unauthorised RMC plants. While three RMC plants were razed on Tuesday, including those operated by major brands like BSR, UltraTech, and ACC, the remaining 10 have been marked for imminent removal.

Other demolished entities include Great India Mining at Gowlidoddi, Prithvi Stone Crusher (three locations) and Parameshwar Stone Crusher (Sri Lakshmi Constructions) at Vattinagulapally, along with Bhagat Singh Stone Crusher, SVK, and R Miller.

The operation was executed following a formal request from Rangareddy District Collector to reclaim government land and protect natural resources.

HYDRAA maintained that the demolitions were part of a larger strategy to identify and dismantle benami industrial units that ignored environmental safety protocols and operated under the guise of legitimate business.