‘Those taking over parks, land think people cannot fight the mighty… Even Army came to us for help’: HYDRAA chief

* How do you define HYDRAA’s mandate?

HYDRAA’s mandate is very much in its name… disaster response and asset protection. These two are often interlinked. In many cases, disasters are linked to non-protection of assets, including nallahs, lakes and rocks. We also protect parks, open spaces and land parcels.

* So, HYDRAA protects not just natural resources but prime land?

Yes, exactly. The custodian of government land is the district collector and Revenue Department… It is the duty of the department to verify whether it is government land or not, and establish the ownership before they come to us. Once all that is done… as per the SOP of HYDRAA, we go in and provide the men and machinery to fence and protect the land parcel.

In protecting water bodies and parks, we do not wait for the intervention of any other agency because this duty was entrusted to HYDRAA (under the rules that created the body)…

When you are protecting the environment, forests, green cover, lung spaces and waterbodies, we are ultimately serving the interests of the people. We are protecting people’s interests from landgrabbers.

* The High Court has observed on several occasions that the demolition of properties is being done despite a stay or status quo order.

In the most recent case where the court has issued a contempt order, we are clearly protecting Articles 21 and 51 A(g) of the constitution. Article 21 mentions the right to life, and the right to have a healthy environment is part of the right to life as per the Supreme Court. Article 51 A(g) clearly mentions that it is the fundamental duty of every citizen to protect waterbodies. Article 48A in the Directive Principles of State Policy also clearly mentions that the state has to protect forests. These are enshrined in the Constitution itself… that we have to safeguard the environment for healthy living.

In one of the cases which we are fighting in court, the complaint was given by Save the Rocks Society and other public-spirited environmentalists. The Ammuguda Rocks of Lothukunta (in north Secunderabad) are 2.5 billion years old. We have got clearly in writing from the Mining Department that the builder was not given a mining licence. The Forest Department has given a letter that they did not give permission to construct. We are saying this is government land…

* The High Court has pulled you up in particular for ‘being a law unto yourself’ and for having 63 contempt of court cases against you.

You should also understand who are the petitioners in the contempt cases – most of them are landgrabbers who are trying to take over crores of rupees worth of government land at the cost of environment and lung spaces. One of the complainants is a landlord in the Ghatkesar area (in the suburbs of Hyderabad) who has usurped plots of 2,200 Singareni workers and built a compound wall. These are people who have used muscle and money power to usurp land. This landlord has filed some 10 contempt petitions against me.

Another person, who has about 40 criminal cases against him and who was trying to take away 20 acres of prime land worth Rs 6,000 crore in Gachibowli junction, has filed over a dozen contempt cases against me. He wanted to build commercial complexes on the land.

There is another person, who is accused of double murder, who has filed a few contempt cases against me because he was trying to take 200 acres of land, worth almost Rs 20,000 crore. These are people who are taking over parks and roads and land and think that (the common person) cannot fight against the mighty.

HYDRAA is trying to protect the weak, the people who do not have the money for legal battles. That is why HYDRAA is getting public applause and appreciation… We are not being a law unto ourselves, but we are trying to follow the law in letter and spirit. HYDRAA is trying to stop misinterpretation of the law.

* One observation by the court was that maybe the Army should be involved in protecting its orders.

Ironically, the very day that the court made this comment… Army officials came to us to say that HYDRAA should protect some land in the Cantonment area. The Army said that only when HYDRAA is involved, is there fear of the law and encroachers are afraid.

* Chief Minister Revanth Reddy seems to be firmly behind HYDRAA.

It is very clear from his words. He has said that HYDRAA is the topmost reform that his government has undertaken. HYDRAA is his brainchild, and I am the officer assigned the task of heading it.

* How many acres of land would you say HYDRAA has protected so far, as well as lakes, water bodies and rocks?

We are flooded with 35,000 complaints. In our Prajavani (weekly public grievance system), there are people who wait in queues from 6 in the morning. We have protected 3,350 acres of land worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore. We have protected hundreds of lakes, waterbodies, parks and rocks. We are also into lake rejuvenation. All this will mitigate disasters.

* The court has also asked for your removal.

It is for the government to take a call on whether I should continue. I am consulting lawyers. We have huge respect for courts, (but) here, the petitioners are misleading courts… They are landgrabbers who forge documents. We will fight it out through the legal system.