Locals and shopkeepers attempted to stop the demolition, with some of them holding arguments with the DRF teams
Hyderabad: Amid chaos from shopkeepers, Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) on Thursday razed several structures and illegal encroachments at Parvathapur village in Peerzadiguda.
The agency claimed that the encroachment was done by Sukhender Reddy, who was working under the protection of former mayor Jakka Venkat Reddy and former co-option member Jagadish Reddy and after conducting inspections, authorities razed the structures.
HYDRAA officials removed the foundations of 15 plots, three shops and boundary walls built up to two metres high. Temporary sheds were also dismantled.
Several complaints were raised to HYDRAA from local residents that the government-owned burial land, which has been in use for more than 40 years, had been encroached upon and illegally converted into residential plots.
Locals and shopkeepers attempted to stop the demolition, with some of them holding arguments with the DRF teams. Both DRF staffers and the locals had heated arguments about the demolitions, but local police stopped them.
The agency refuted their claims that the shopkeepers were not given even an hour to remove their items from the shops. It stated that they gave more than two hours of time to remove all belongings and the DRF staff even assisted them in removing the items.
HYDRAA stated that Sukhender Reddy, whose private land is located right next to the government land, had extended his hold over the neighbouring burial grounds and created plots during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He allegedly buried existing graves by dumping soil, and those plots were sold despite ongoing disputes. HYDRAA also stated that a person named Rajinikanth Reddy bought a 200-square-yard plot, where he built three shops and collected a lot of rents through those commercial establishments.
HYDRAA also claimed that the encroachers painted fake court case numbers on the walls to stop officials or the public from entering the area. Complainants accused former mayor Jakka Venkat Reddy and co-option member Jagadish Reddy of assisting Sukhender Reddy in obtaining false permissions by misusing survey numbers.
HYDRAA commissioner A. V. Ranganath conducted a detailed inquiry using Google Maps, NRSC satellite images and revenue records. A field inspection confirmed that the land was indeed government-owned and part of the burial grounds. Locals told the commissioner that they had been fighting for seven years to reclaim the land.
