The Telangana High Court has pulled up the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) once again, questioning the proof that properties marked for demolition in the Khajaguda area fell within the Full Tank Level (FTL) boundary or buffer zone.
The court also stayed HYDRAA’s eviction notices to three petitioners who own around 6.2 acres of land in Khajaguda, asking them to vacate their properties within 24 hours. Justice K Lakshman questioned the rush to evict the owners without giving them adequate notice and hearing them, the Times of India reported.
In a demolition drive in the Khajaguda lake area on Tuesday, December 31, HYDRAA demolished structures spread across around 10 acres on both sides of the Khajaguda-Nanakramguda main road, alleging that they fell within the FTL and buffer zone areas of the Bhagirathamma and Tautanikunta tanks.
Hearing a lunch motion petition by landowners whose properties were also set to be razed on December 31 following a 24-hour notice, Justice Lakshman asked HYDRAA how the agency could claim that the properties fell within the FTL boundary without any supporting evidence.
Alleging that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to support the claim, the court also observed that the exact boundaries of the FTL and buffer zone were not clear. It questioned how demolitions were still being done without accurate verification, according to The New Indian Express.
The court observed that despite being pulled up already for violating procedure in carrying out demolitions, mistakes are being repeated under HYDRAA commissioner AV Ranganath’s supervision, Deccan Chronicle reported.
However, the court allowed HYDRAA to initiate fresh proceedings against any illegal structures supported by strong evidence while strictly following procedures around issuing sufficient notice and hearing the affected persons.