HYDERABAD: Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy strongly refuted allegations made by BRS leaders K.T. Rama Rao and T. Harish Rao that his house was situated within the full tank level (FTL) area or buffer zone of the Himayatsagar.
"Even if one brick of my house is located within the FTL or buffer zone, I will order the immediate demolition of my entire house," Srinivas Reddy said at a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan.
He invited the two BRS leaders to visit his residence along with HYDRAA (Hyderabad Urban Development and Regulatory Authority) commissioner A.V. Ranganath to conduct an inspection.
"Bring your own measuring tape and prove that my house is in the FTL or buffer zone. If you can, demolish it. If not, you should publicly explain where you will hide your face," he told the BRS leaders.
The minister accused the BRS leaders of attempting to defame him, alleging that they were trying to "throw mud" on his reputation. He emphasised that HYDRAA was initiated by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to safeguard government land and lakes from encroachment.
In contrast, Srinivas Reddy said, that the previous BRS government had ignored repeated directives from the High Court regarding illegal constructions. He stated that HYDRAA was taking decisive action against all violations, regardless of political affiliation, and cited the recent demolition of a house belonging to the brother of former Union minister M.M. Pallam Raju.
Srinivas Reddy criticised Rama Rao's claim that his Janwada farmhouse was leased from a friend, and pointed to inconsistencies in the BRS leader’s statements.
The minister declared, "I am openly saying that it's my house, and I live there, though it's registered in my son's name. I am not like KTR, who claims he doesn’t own the Janwada farmhouse and instead says he leased it from a friend."
He criticised the BRS working president for not owning up the property, and questioned the lease arrangement.
"Can he disclose the lease amount? Someone is saying that KTR paid a lease amount of `5,000. If it's that cheap, let him tell us all—everyone will start taking farmhouses on lease."
The minister brought up a past incident involving the Janwada farmhouse, recalling how five years ago, when drones were flown over the property, the police filed an FIR against Revanth Reddy, then in the Opposition, arrested him and referred to the farmhouse as "KTR's farmhouse" in official documents.
"Why didn’t KTR object back then if it wasn’t his farmhouse? Why is he objecting now when HYDRAA has found that his farmhouse is located within the FTL and needs to be demolished," Srinivas Reddy asked.
Srinivas Reddy also condemned the recent attacks on two female journalists covering BRS protests. He assured that the government had ordered a thorough inquiry into the incident and would take stringent action against all those found responsible for the attacks.
