Hyderabad – For the second day in a row, officials from the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRA) cleared illegal structures from land near Muslim and Christian cemeteries in Parvathapur, Peerzadiguda. Local residents had raised concerns that these sacred spaces were being taken over unlawfully.
HYDRA teams demolished the base of 15 plots, removed 2-metre-high fences, several sheds, and three unauthorized shops built on the land.
HYDRA Commissioner AV Ranganath responded to complaints received during the public grievance program, Prajavani. Using Google Maps, satellite images from NRSC, and local revenue records, the agency confirmed the encroachments and acted quickly to remove them. He visited the site on Wednesday, where local officials verified that the graveyards were government-owned.
During the visit, Ranganath noted that graves had been buried under soil, making them hard to identify. Members of the Cemetery Protection Committee informed him about their seven-year struggle to protect the land. They had approached various government departments and even courts over the years.
After the demolition, community members were relieved. They said their efforts had finally paid off, saving more than one acre of religious land from illegal occupation.
HYDRA has also been tackling other land encroachment issues across the city. On Wednesday, Commissioner Ranganath inspected Ranganath Nagar in Gopanpally, part of Serilingampally mandal, where locals claimed that a layout of 850 plots across 184 acres had been illegally occupied during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The inspection moved to Aravind Colony in Chengicherla and Vikas Welfare Colony in Boduppal, both in Medchal district. Residents there accused a former MLA of trying to register land falsely as temple property, halting the legal registration of 444 plots.
At OU Colony in Shaikpet, Ranganath investigated reports of an unauthorized road being built. He ordered all property owners to submit their ownership documents for verification and promised serious action against anyone breaking the law.
HYDRA continues to act against illegal land grabs to protect both public and religious properties across Hyderabad.
