The ongoing demolitions of illegal structures on water bodies by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets protection Agency (HYDRAA) have not only resulted in resistance from the opposition parties in Telangana, but also caused tremors within the ruling Congress.
On Monday, Pradesh Congress Committee working president and former Sangareddy MLA T Jagga Reddy raised his voice against the demolitions of houses belonging to the poor.
In open defiance of the Revanth Reddy government’s demolition drive Jagga Reddy said the agency will not be allowed to take up any demolition works in Sangareddy constituency.
Since the rumours of HYDRAA entering the constituency began making rounds in the town, creating panic among the households, Jagga Reddy, in a press statement, asked HYDRAA commissioner A V Ranganath to keep away from Sangareddy.
He asked Ranganath to keep him informed if HYDRAA had any plans to demolish structures in Sangareddy.
He also assured the citizens that he would take up the issue with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and stop any such moves.
The former Sangareddy MLA recalled that Revanth Reddy had earlier clarified that there would be no demolitions by HYDRAA outside the Outer Ring Road (ORR).
Since Sangareddy constituency was located outside ORR, he said the citizens should not worry much about any such rumours.
Earlier, Khairtabad MLA Danam Nagender also strongly criticised the ongoing demolition of houses belonging to poor families under the HYDRAA initiave in Hyderabad.
Speaking about the demolitions taking place along the Musi river, Nagender highlighted the lack of alternative arrangements for displaced families, calling the action unfair and inhumane.
He questioned the focus on demolishing slum dwellings while allowing several other unauthorised structures, such as those near Jala Vihar and Hi-Tec City, to remain untouched.
He emphasised that targeting only the homes of poor families, while ignoring other illegal constructions, was unjust.
Nagender further described the marking of houses for demolition in the Musi River vicinity with red marks as a hasty move.
He urged that affected families should be provided with local resettlement options to minimise their displacement.
He also reminded officials that he had previously advised against targeting slum areas where economically weaker sections reside.
