Hyderabad: HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath on Friday urged citizens to safeguard their assets from encroachers. Commemorating the first anniversary of HYDRAA, a large-scale human chain was organized with students and locals at the revived Bathukamma Kunta in Amberpet. During the event, attendees took an oath to protect water resources.Speaking on the occasion, Ranganath announced that this year’s Bathukamma celebrations will be launched by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy from Bathukamma Kunta, which is being developed to suit the festivities.He stated that HYDRAA has experienced both challenges and successes over the past year. “HYDRAA is working with a solid plan for disaster management and has reclaimed 500 acres of government land worth ₹30,000 crore. We are reviving six lakes in the city, channelling rainwater into them instead of letting it flow into the Musi or onto roads. Nalas, lakes, and ponds are being protected from encroachers,” he said, adding that more lakes will be developed soon.Clarifying policy concerns, Ranganath said, “We have exempted houses built before HYDRAA’s formation. The government has framed a specific policy for us, and we operate as per Supreme Court directives. There are influential people behind encroachments who push the poor in front of bulldozers to escape responsibility and then spread false propaganda on social media, claiming HYDRAA is targeting the poor. Will the poor have the courage to encroach on park land worth ₹30-40 crore?”Addressing questions about Owaisi College, he explained that the college was built in 2015-16, while the preliminary notification for the Salkam pond land was issued in 2016. “The final notification is still pending for Salkam pond and for 80% of city ponds. Only 140 ponds have final notification so far, while 540 ponds received preliminary notification a decade ago. The same rules apply to all, irrespective of who owns the building. HYDRAA is a year-old organization, and it is not fair to impose the same rule retroactively on older constructions,” he clarified.
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