HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (Hydraa) reclaimed a valuable 16,000 sq yard (approximately 3.3 acres) parcel of land worth Rs 400 crore in the city’s prestigious IT corridor on Thursday, a decade after it was reportedly encroached upon by a businessman.
Located near the Hitex arch in Madhapur, this plot had been illegally occupied by a private individual who built a restaurant on it and encroached upon an adjacent road with hoardings, according to officials.
During a demolition operation on Thursday, the Hydraa team dismantled part of the eatery as well as all hoardings, freeing two parks, roads covering 5,000 sq yards, and around 300 sq yards of government land. This action followed complaints from locals made during Hydraa’s Prajavani program.
Hydraa also filed a police report against the alleged offender, Jaihind Reddy, who is facing multiple land-grabbing charges. Acting on the complaint, the Madhapur police registered an FIR for trespassing on government land and violating the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
“We are still in the process of gathering information regarding those involved in the encroachment and the developments at the site,” stated D. Krishna Mohan, inspector at Madhapur police station.
According to Hydraa officials, the regained land is a segment of a 22.2-acre layout approved in 1995, which includes around 100 residential plots and four parks. This layout was regularized by the previous Andhra Pradesh government in 2006, with the parks transferred to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) via a gift deed. However, residents have claimed that parts of the parks, roadway space, and government land have been encroached upon over the years.
As per the complaint, Reddy constructed a restaurant on government land, leased it out, and set up large advertising hoardings, generating around Rs 4 lakh monthly.
“Following the complaint, our officials evaluated the site and confirmed the encroachments. Locals expressed concerns about how the layout, once regularized, could be invalidated without informing plot owners. If the land fell under the Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) Act, it should have reverted to the government instead of being privatized,” remarked A.V. Ranganath, commissioner of Hydraa.
Industry sources indicate that land prices in the area currently range from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh per square yard. “This is prime land in the city center, making it even more desirable due to its proximity to the IT corridor,” mentioned Jaideep Reddy, President, CREDAI.
Following the demolition, Hydraa fenced off the cleared land and installed signs designating the reclaimed areas as parks and government property to deter future encroachments.
