Telangana govt strengthens HYDRAA with more powers
Guidelines being readied to fully hand over protection responsibilities of all lakes, parks, canals and government lands under the ORR to HYDRAA
Hyderabad: The state government has given powers to HYDRAA to oversee the protection of all government land holdings, waterbodies, canals and parks within the limits of the Hyderabad Outer Ring Road (ORR). Personnel from the police, survey, and irrigation departments will be assigned to HYDRAA to support these efforts.
The decision comes in response to directives from Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to strengthen HYDRAA. Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari convened a high-level meeting at the Secretariat on Monday, which collectors from the four districts within the ORR limits, as well as senior officials from the police, irrigation, municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD), and law departments.
Chief Secretary Kumari noted that the current practice of various departments, including irrigation, GHMC, MA&UD and panchayat raj issuing different notices regarding the removal of encroachments had led to confusion. To streamline the process, the MA&UD principal secretary has been tasked with finalising procedures so that all eviction notices within the ORR limits are issued solely by the HYDRAA.
The CS stated that all notices and evictions under acts such as the GHMC Act, Land Encroachment Act, Land Grabbing Act, Water Land and Trees Act, and irrigation department legislation will fall under HYDRAA's jurisdiction. The necessary additional officers and staff will be allocated to HYDRAA promptly to address this expanded role.
In addition, the conservation of key lakes, including Osmansagar and Himayatsagar, will be transferred from the HMWS&SB to HYDRAA. The Chief Secretary highlighted that 72 teams had been formed under HYDRAA, with personnel from the police, survey, and irrigation departments set to be deployed swiftly to further strengthen the agency.
The meeting's primary focus was to devise a comprehensive action plan to implement the orders issued by the Telangana High Court regarding the removal of encroachments on lakes, ponds and the preservation of government properties.
Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari announced that guidelines are being prepared to transfer full responsibility for the protection of lakes, parks, canals, and other government lands under the ORR to HYDRAA. The meeting discussed the transfer of more powers and additional personnel to HYDRAA to ensure the protection of these vital areas.
Those who were present included DG Intelligence Shivadhar Reddy, Additional DG, law and order, Mahesh Bhagwat, principal secretary, MA&UD, Dana Kishore, irrigation secretary Rahul Bojja, HMDA commissioner Sarfaraz Ahmed, additional advocate general Rajinikanth Reddy, ACB director Tarun Joshi, and collectors from Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal-Malkajigiri, and Sangareddy districts.