A significant number of people in Hyderabad, particularly those from the middle and upper-middle classes, are suffering from sleeplessness and anxiety disorders.
This phenomenon is prevalent among people living around lakes who have suddenly been alerted by HYDRAA notices to vacate their houses for demolition within a week or a month.
Although many have not yet received such notices, reports in the media that many residents around different lakes are being served with demolition notices have caused panic attacks.
HYDRAA Chief Ranganath has given interviews stating that there are no plans to demolish apartments and houses built 10–15 years ago, but the actual situation seems different.
Notices have been served to 240 residents around Durgam Cheruvu and 315 residents living near lakes in Chandranagar, Kukatpalli, Balanagar, and Medipally areas on the grounds of Full Tank Level (FTL) and buffer zone issues.
"I am a retired teacher. I retired in 2004. Now I am 80. I bought this two-bedroom flat 16 years ago to live peacefully. What should I and my wife do if HYDRAA demolishes this apartment? I don't want to live anymore. I will sit in this flat and let the HYDRAA people demolish it. I can die that way," said a retired teacher who lives in an apartment close to Meerpet Lake.
"I bought this flat 15 years ago, and my loan is getting cleared in two months. But I have sleepless nights. I finally my flat, but what if HYDRAA demolishes it? It's really painful. It's like how it feels when a baby carried for nine months is born dead. I feel the same. I am owning this flat as a single woman after 15 years, clearing the loan, but what if it gets demolished? I fear getting a notice since we are close to Safilguda Lake. The news is really frightening. I worry that many in our colony will have heart attacks upon receiving demolition notices," said a bank employee who preferred not to reveal her name.
"We bought a flat in this apartment 10 years ago because we were attracted to its name—'Lake View'. But now, the name of our apartment itself is like a nightmare. Our builder promoted this apartment for its 'beautiful lake view.' We have all the approvals, and the builder is known to me. He didn't bribe anyone to get these approvals; all departments gave them without any objections. But now, if HYDRAA's bulldozers come, what should we do?" laments a software engineer living close to Kompally Lake.
"I come from a poor family background. My parents never had their own house. I secured a job in a private company and slowly accumulated money, and took some bank loans to buy a second-hand two-bedroom apartment. I am living with my elderly parents, wife and two children with some self-pride in this flat. HYDRAA should consider how justified it is to make us homeless. I am 38 years old now and am repaying a loan EMI of Rs 25,000 per month. If I become homeless and have to live in a rented house, I will need to pay an additional Rs 15,000. My total salary is Rs 60,000. How can I take care of my family, pay the remaining EMI for a demolished flat, and pay rent on top of that? I voted for Revanth Reddy, but this is what I am getting in return. He should rethink his stance. My mother is suffering from sleeplessness and anxiety due to the HYDRAA news. She is also a heart patient," Naresh Kumar broke down while saying this. He lives near a lake in the Kompally Lake region.
"Revanth Reddy is getting ready to demolish his own brother Tirupati Reddy's house in the Durgam Cheruvu region. Even Tirupati Reddy says he is okay with getting his multi-crore property demolished with a smile. Well, he is the Chief Minister's brother. He may be confident of getting compensated ten times more by some other means. But what about a common man like me? I run a kirana store. I bought my flat here, and my builder has all the approvals. There was no mention of FTL or buffer zone risk at any point. Now HYDRAA is coming to demolish. Who can compensate my hard earned money? People should think about people like us with empathy," said Yadagiri who is living near Saroornagar lake.
There are several stories like these. The Chief Minister, HYDRAA, and other concerned citizens should consider these situations and their impact on people's lives before praising the government's efforts to restore the lakes.
