Many want HYDRA to extend its tentacles into districts

Hyderabad: Even as the opposition parties are raising hue and cry over the demolition of the structures that have come up in the FTL (full tank level) and buffer zones of various lakes and water bodies in Hyderabad, the support from the general public towards the ongoing demolitions is increasing.

The Chief Ministers Office is getting flooded with the requests from the Congress legislators and others to create HYDRA (Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection) wings in various Assembly constituencies. This move had even received support from CPI. Its national secretary K Narayana said that this drive should be taken up irrespective of party affiliations of those who had encroached the water bodies.

Narayana, who visited the demolished ‘N’ Convention centre, which belongs to actor Nagarjuna, and some more illegal structures in the Old City, said that the government should not get down from the tiger it was riding when it comes to demolition of the properties of AIMIM leaders. Fearing that the bulldozers may demolish the educational institutions set up by AIMIM in Chandrayanagutta which is alleged is in the FTL area, the party president Asaduddin Owaisi said that the government cannot be selective.

If they want to demolish encroachments of water bodies, all structures like the GHMC head office and even the state Secretariat should be demolished. The party floor leader said, “pump bullets into me but don’t demolish educational institutions”. Sources said that the educational institutions of AIMIM were in the FTL area.

Meanwhile, Government Whip and Vemulawada MLA Adi Srinivas wrote a letter to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy requesting to constitute a HYDRA-type body for the demolition of illegal structures in government lands near lakes and ponds in Vemulawada – Sircilla district. He complained that BRS leader and former MLA of Vemulawada constructed houses in the FTL area of the lake. He also alleged that lakes in Sircilla Assembly segment were encroached by BRS leader K T Rama Rao.

Similar complaints were received from MLC T Jeevan Reddy and Dharmapuri MLA Adluri Lakshman alleging that lakes and ponds in Karimnagar were encroached. Similar complaints were received from MLA Vemula Veeresham Nakrekal in old Nalgonda district. Alair MLA B Ilaiah, Manakonduru MLA K Satyanarayana and Chevella Congress MLA K Yadaiah.