Tension in Gajularamaram as Hydraa demolishes 750 shelters before Bathukamma

Hydraa teams demolished shelters in Gajularamaram early Sunday, just before Bathukamma festival, upsetting 750 families. Locals protested, saying they lived there for 30 years. Hydraa claimed the land belongs to the government and is worth up to Rs 15,000 crore

Hyderabad: Hydraa teams demolished shelters at Gajularamaram, sparking tension with residents protesting the move ahead of Bathukamma festival.

The demolition drive that began at 5 am on Sunday with JCBs saw heavy deployment of police forces to prevent any untoward incidents. Over 750 families, who have been residing on a reclaimed garbage dump yard for 30 years, faced demolitions.

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Women and children participating in Bathukamma celebrations expressed their anguish and demanded a halt to the operation and some tried to stage a protest in front of JCBs.

The residents said they were all daily wage workers who spent lakhs of rupees to purchase 60 and 70 sq yards in the land that was nothing but a garbage dump yard. “We cleaned the premises and put up temporary sheds. Our children are pursuing studies in the nearby schools and colleges,” they said.

The families were also angry that the demolitions were happening on a day which was last ‘Peddala Amavasya’ to offer ‘Pinda Pradhanams’ to departed elders.

Meanwhile, Hydraa, in a statement, said the demolition efforts began to reclaim the government land occupied by encroachers in Gajularamaram, Quthbullapur. More than 275 acres of land, which was handed over to SFC in 2014, was reclaimed and its worth is likely to be Rs 12,000 to 15,000 crores, the statement claimed.

Instructions were issued to field officers not to demolish any dwellings or residential houses where the poor are residing, said the Hydraa.