HYDRAA Flags Somajiguda Project As Encroachment, BRS Alleges Selective Political Targeting

The Revanth Reddy government’s flagship lake protection agency, HYDRAA, is facing allegations of selective targeting after taking action against a 17-storey construction project near Hussain Sagar lake. The agency, headed by IPS officer AV Ranganath, has intensified its drive against alleged encroachments around water bodies and says it has reclaimed about 2,435 acres of encroached and illegally occupied land across the Hyderabad metropolitan region.

A joint team of HYDRAA, the Revenue Department and the Irrigation Department recently inspected the project being developed by Pradeep Constructions on Raj Bhavan Road in Somajiguda. Officials said government records show that the entire 7,640.89-square-metre site falls within the Full Tank Level and mandatory buffer zone of Hussain Sagar, leaving no portion of the land suitable for construction.

HYDRAA has issued a public advisory warning potential buyers against purchasing flats in the project. The agency said survey records classify the property as “vacant land, tank submerged” and claimed that the district administration had not issued a no-objection certificate for the development. Officials also said court cases concerning the property remain pending, adding further uncertainty over the project’s legal status.

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The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has issued a show-cause notice proposing the cancellation of the building permission, alleging that approvals were obtained through misrepresentation and suppression of facts. Officials said an Occupancy Certificate has not been issued for the project and that further action will depend on the outcome of the official inquiry and pending court proceedings. The Telangana Real Estate Regulatory Authority has also warned that the project’s RERA registration has expired and is no longer valid.

The action has triggered a political controversy, with opposition parties accusing the Congress government of selectively targeting certain properties while ignoring alleged constructions linked to its own leaders. HYDRAA officials have rejected the allegations and maintained that their decisions are based solely on Full Tank Level surveys and official land records. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi has questioned alleged farmhouses and constructions near water bodies linked to the chief minister’s family, senior ministers and other Congress leaders.

Amid attempts to link the project to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi leadership, party working president and MLA K.T. Rama Rao issued a legal notice to a newspaper that published the allegation. He denied having any connection with the project, its developer or the permissions granted for it and demanded the removal of the report and a public apology. As HYDRAA continues its campaign against alleged lake encroachments, the Hussain Sagar project is expected to remain under intense political and public scrutiny.

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