Encroachments to the extent of five acres from the full Durgam Cheruvu tank, which were removed by HYDRAA officials on Tuesday. | Photo credit: ARRANGEMENT
The brazen attack on the full tank level (FTL) of Durgam Cheruvu, which was reported by The Hindu more than two years ago, finally took notice of the authorities and the Hyderabad Disaster Response & Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) swung into action on Tuesday.
HYDRAA forces cleared the five-acre encroachment from FTL Lake and fenced off the area, the statement said.
The encroachment started about three years ago and gradually spread from one acre to five acres without any action being taken despite reports of the same. Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was a pending case against the government’s attempts to lay a road across the site and therefore no intervention could be made. However, no attempts were made to apprehend the person who tried to interfere with him further.
Encroachments to the extent of five acres from the full Durgam Cheruvu tank, which were removed by HYDRAA officials on Tuesday. | Photo credit: ARRANGEMENT
The lake was filled with soil and debris 10-15 meters inside and the area was used for rent as a parking place for school buses and IT company vehicles. A public representative is behind the intervention, claiming it is his own land, HYDRAA said in a statement. However, the same area is increasing year by year and belongs to further encroachment into the lake.
The illegal occupation is also hampering work to lay a footpath around the lake, the statement said. HMDA issued a preliminary notification for the lake in 2014, listing its area as 160.7 acres. HYDRAA will look into the records of NRSC, Survey of India and Revenue Department to ascertain the actual extent, the statement said.
Satellite images show that 29 acres of the lake had been filled in by 1976, and another 10 acres had been impacted from 1995 to 2000, leaving only 121 acres of FTL for the lake. Currently, the lake exists on only 116 acres, the statement said.
HYDRAA chief AV Ranganath said boulders were thrown into the lake in an attempt to fill it and cleaning it would be a costly task.
Published – 30 Dec 2025 21:33 IST
