Two additional single-room structures identified on the site were not demolished as they were already occupied.
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) reclaimed a 6,500-square-yard playground valued at ₹100 crore in Shastripuram Colony, Mailardevpally, by demolishing four-storey (G+3) under-construction structures on Wednesday.
The agency said the demolished structures included five illegal three-storey buildings constructed on land earmarked for a playground in a 188-acre Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (Huda)-approved layout. Two additional single-room structures identified on the site were not demolished as they were already occupied.
According to HYDRAA, the encroachers had begun selling plots in the playground area through notary agreements and initiated construction without obtaining permissions from municipal authorities.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) had issued notices in 2024, followed by speaking orders warning of demolition. Despite this, construction activity continued. Acting on complaints from residents, HYDRAA carried out the demolition following an inspection by GHMC and Revenue Department officials.
“With the playground being accessible once again, the locals expressed their appreciation for HYDRAA’s prompt action,” the agency said in a press release.
“The residents noted that they had faced intimidation when they attempted to resist the encroachments themselves, but credited HYDRAA's intervention has enabled them to successfully safeguard the playground,” the release added.
In a separate operation, HYDRAA protected a 968-square-yard park in Akshaya Enclave, Balanagar mandal, by erecting signage and removing construction material from the site.
The action followed complaints received during the HYDRAA Prajavani programme, where residents alleged encroachment of the park, part of a 7.12-acre layout approved in 1983. The complaint stated that a person, Abdul Rehman alias Gopla, had attempted to claim the land using alleged fake documents.
