Mushkin Cheruvu freed from HYDRAA interference

In a major operation on Saturday, units of the Hyderabad Disaster Response & Asset Protection Agency cleared the entire surface of the Mushkin Cheruvu reservoir between Narsingi and Puppalguda from multiple encroachments.

The lake’s FTL was reduced from 52 acres to less than 20 acres with the construction of a levee across the lake, creating over 35 acres of land upstream, HYDRAA said in a statement.

The operation was launched following complaints from local residents who approached HYDRAA alleging interference by the organization that was given responsibility for developing the lake under Corporate Social Responsibility.

A field survey by HYDRAA along with Irrigation, Revenue and municipal officials revealed that the lake is spread over 59 acres as per village maps. A preliminary notification by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority has pegged the extent of the lake at over 52 acres, which includes over 20 acres of government land.

The agency that took over the lake attempted to develop only the government-owned area, keeping in mind the hurdles created by the private patta holders under the FTL. An enclosure was created in this effort, but was destroyed by HYDRAA forces to restore its original extent.

A statement from HYDRAA on Saturday informed that in order to interfere with FTL, real estate companies have already built shacks for poor people on the land. HYDRAA officials convinced the residents of the true intentions of the builders and gave them two months to vacate the houses.

About 40–50 shacks were removed from FTL along with temporary structures that were used for waste sorting. After removing the encroachments, HYDRAA forces fenced off the FTL lake to prevent future intrusions.

Published – 30 May 2026 21:00 IST