Ranganath of HYDRA made an important announcement today, stating that regardless of the houses, villas, and apartments located in FTL (Full Tank Level) and buffer zones for years with people living in them, HYDRA will not demolish them.
Although he has been saying this in media interviews for quite some time, today he made it as an official statement.
Today, at Sunnam Cheruvu, an incident occurred where the HYDRA team arrived. A few women poured petrol on their bodies and threatened to set themselves on fire, believing that the team had come to demolish their lakeside houses. This created a major stir in the media, and suddenly, Revanth Reddy, who had been hailed as a hero in recent days, was branded a villain on social media.
The police also forcibly removed a Hanuman devotee from the area, tearing his saffron attire. This incident went viral, causing outrage among Hindu netizens, who wrote, "Revanth Reddy's valor is only against Hindus. Can he dare to do this in the Old City or with properties linked to Owaisi?"
As the situation appeared to be spiraling out of control, with public anger against HYDRA rising, Ranganath issued a statement clarifying that houses where people have been living for years in FTL and buffer zones will not be demolished. However, he added that new constructions will not be spared.
Though this brought relief to many, doubts linger as to why notices were given to long-established houses near Durgam Cheruvu and Kukatpally Lake and other apartments in other lake regions when residents have lived there for years.
The actions of HYDRA and the Revenue Department's notices seem out of sync, causing confusion among the public.
Despite Ranganath's statement, many believe HYDRA is still carrying out demolitions, contradicting its assurances. Today, at Mallampet Lake, a few villas were demolished on the grounds of being illegal constructions. The owners were seen crying, asking who would compensate them since they had purchased these homes with valid permissions and bank loans.
Revanth Reddy is facing heavy criticism from the public, who feel targeted by the current Telangana government.
One citizen questioned, "Upgrading the outdated drainage system and maintaining it is crucial to prevent floods and inundation due to rains in Hyderabad. Not doing that and simply demolishing houses won’t solve the problem. This is a mindless government."
Another person said, "Hyderabad witnessed the Great Musi Flood in 1908, which killed 50,000 people due to inundation. Will Revanth Reddy claim that encroachments were the cause even then? Upgrading the drainage system is the government’s responsibility. It was done by the Nizam at the time, who developed strong infrastructure for the twin cities. He didn’t demolish houses back then."
"Some areas in Hyderabad experience waterlogged roads during the rainy season, but the water recedes after a while. Demolishing houses in FTL and buffer zones won’t prevent road inundation. A robust underground drainage system is needed. Even in Mumbai, roads get flooded, but no government there has embraced the irrational idea of demolishing houses to prevent inundation," noted another netizen.
On the whole, we will have to wait and see how far HYDRA will go in the coming days.
Will it demolish Revanth Reddy's brother Tirupathi Reddy's house, as a notice was served to him?
Will it proceed with demolishing houses where notices have been issued in FTL and buffer zones?
Will Ranganath stick to the statement he made today?
Or will we witness more families grieving as their homes are destroyed?
The answers to these questions will unfold in the coming days.
