Durgam Cheruvu cable bridge in Hyderabad.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: The Telangana government has issued notices to at least 204 structures in and around Durgam Cheruvu lake, including the one belonging to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's brother, A Tirupathi Reddy in Amar Society of IT Corridor's Madhapur.
Durgam Cheruvu, right in the middle of the burgeoning IT corridor, is one of the most prominent landmarks in west Hyderabad. Over the years, development had taken place around Durgam Cheruvu, and many colonies came up in the lake's vicinity. The iconic cable bridge of the city that connects Jubilee Hills and Financial District was also been built across Durgan Cheruvu.
Serilingampally Tehsildhar issued notices under Section 23(1) of the WALTA Act, which mandates that structures encroaching beyond the lake's permissible limits be voluntarily demolished within the given time frame.
The notices mandated the removal of these structures within the non-development zone of Durgam Cheruvu Lake within 30 days. Revenue officials of the Rangareddy District and Serilingampally Deputy Collector issued notices to at least 204 structures in Nectars Colony, Doctors Colony, Kavuri Hills, and Amar Society, which are adjacent to Durgam Cheruvu. The notices, which were issued in the first week of August but only came to light on Thursday, warned that non-compliance would result in demolitions.
Originally spread over an estimated 100 acres, recent measurements suggest that the lake now covers only 84 acres. Despite a preliminary notification a decade ago designating the area as a Non-Development Zone (NDZ), the area never received a final notification to protect it, allowing unchecked encroachments.
Many high-profile individuals and celebrities have their homes in and around the lake. Already, the demolition of the N Convention, owned by popular Tollywood actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, has caused jitters in Hyderabad.
Revanth's brother, Tirupati Reddy, responded to the notice of the authorities stating that he bought the house in Amar Society in 2015, not knowing that the land was part of Durgam Cheruvu's Full Tank Level (FTL) zone. If the government determines his building is on FTL land, Reddy said he has no objection to any corrective action as part of their broader initiative to address encroachments. The building also has an office run by Tirupati Reddy.
"If my house is illegal, demolish it, but give me time to remove my belongings. Serlingampalli revenue officials have served me a notice. No official has contacted me so far. I purchased a residence in Amar Society in 2016-17. At the time of purchase, I was not aware that the building was in the FTL zone. Permission for this layout was granted in 1995. BRS people are politicizing my house issue, they have done many irregularities in the last ten years,” Tirupati Reddy told reporters on Thursday.