Govt demolishes Nagarjuna's N-Convention centre in Hyderabad; actor calls action 'unlawful'

HYDRA said that Nagarjuna's N Convention Centre, spread over 10 acres, had encroached two acres of a nearby lake. Nagarjuna said he would seek appropriate relief from the court.

Hyderabad: In an early morning crackdown, sleuths of the newly-launched Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRA) demolished a convention centre belonging to popular Tollywood actor Akkineni Nagarjuna in Madhapur, Hyderabad, on Saturday.

HYDRA said that Nagarjuna's N Convention Centre, spread over 10 acres, had encroached two acres of a nearby lake. Later in the day, the High Court issued interim orders halting the demolition. Nagarjuna said his convention centre was unlawfully demolished, which had hurt him and that he would seek appropriate relief from the court.

It is alleged that the 10-acre N Convention Centre encroached on 1.12 acres of Tammidikunta lakeland, and an additional two acres within the FTL and buffer zones. The Tummidikunta lake's FTL area covers a total of 29.24 acres.

The N convention centre, which was built around 2010–12, had always been embroiled in controversy. When Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was in the TDP, he always tried to corner the then BRS government for not taking action against the N Convention Centre, alleging it had come up encroaching upon the Tammidikunta Lake and was also in the FTL zone.

Recently, HYDRA initiated the demolition of structures built on the lake encroachments. Following fresh complaints against the N Convention Centre, HYDRA resorted to its demolition.

“It has been brought to notice that the N-Convention Hall is located on the east side of Thummidi Kunta, Khanamet village, Serilingampally Mandal of Rangareddy District, which is clear encroachment. It is also represented that this structure is built within the FTL area, protected by a raised retaining wall towards the tank water side. This structure was constructed by raising the original ground level, thereby reducing the water spread area of the Kunta. A detailed FTL map showing the encroached part of the N Convention within FTL and buffer zone boundaries is enclosed here with a ready reference" said Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, a minister in Revanth Reddy's cabinet, recently in a complaint to HYDRA commissar A V Ranganath, requesting immediate and necessary action in the matter.

HYDRA teams reached the N Convention Centre with all required heavy equipment as early as Saturday morning and demolished almost all the structures before Nagarjuna approached the HC and received relief around afternoon.

“Pained by the unlawful manner of demolition carried out in respect of the N Convention, contrary to existing stay orders and court cases, I thought it fit to issue this statement to place on record certain facts to protect my reputation and to indicate that we have not taken any actions in violation of the law. The land is Patta land, and not even an inch of tank plan is encroached upon. In respect of the building constructed inside the private land, there is a stay order granted against any earlier illegal notice for demolition,” said Nagarjuan in a social media post.

He further said, "Today, clearly, the demolition was carried out wrongfully based on misinformation. No notice was issued prior to carrying out the demolition this morning. As a law-abiding citizen, if the court before which the matter is pending had decided against me, I would have carried out the demolition myself. I am placing this on record for the purpose of correcting any public misimpression about wrongful construction or encroachment by us. We would be seeking appropriate relief from the Court in relation to the wrong actions carried out by the authorities.”

HYDRAA commissioner AV Ranganath said that there are no stay orders from any court and "N–Convention has been clearly manipulating the systems and process and continuing their commercial activity through the unauthorised structures built in the FTL & Buffer Zones".

“M/s N Convention has encroached 1 acre 12 guntas in FTL and 2 acres 18 guntas in buffer zone and raised unauthorised structures. GHMC has not given any building permission to M/s N – Convention. M/s N – Convention has tried to regularise the unauthorised structures under Building Regularisation Scheme (BRS) but was rejected by the concerned authorities. Due to the unchecked encroachments in and around Tammikunta Cheruvu and the connecting Nalas, the area around Madhapur, Hi Tex are facing serious water logging issues, “ Ranganath said.

He further said that the lower reaches of the Tammidikunta cheruvu are being inundated due to heavy rains as the cheruvu capacity to hold water has shrunk by more then 50-60 per cent.

"Many houses of lower and middle class people are getting submerged in these lower reaches resulting in severe loss of property to them, he added.

“N–Convention is built in the FTL / Buffer Zone and has no building permission whatsoever. After following the due process, the official’s of HYDRAA along with irrigation, town planning, revenue, etc. completely demolished the unauthorised structures in Tammidikunta Cheruvu today morning. High Court of Telangana gave interim stay today afternoon,” said Ranganath.