The scourge beneath HYDRAA’s excesses

The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), which earned nation-wide adulation for its anti-encroachment operations in Hyderabad, received a major setback on July 27, when the Telangana High Court directed the chief secretary to replace HYDRAA chief A.V. Ranganath with another officer.

This order elicited varied reactions, with the main Opposition parties, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), hailing it as a slap in the face of the State government which, they alleged, had been creating fear among the general public, and resorting to blackmail through HYDRAA. Chief Minister A.Revanth Reddy, on the other hand, stood firm in support of Mr. Ranganath, defending the State government’s authority to appoint officers. Mr. Reddy described HYDRAA as one of the most significant reforms introduced by his government and reminded that the agency had earned appreciation from across the country for its efforts to protect public assets.

The evolution of HYDRAA

HYDRAA was created two years ago through an executive order, with the express mandate of asset protection, disaster management and logistical support for other departments. Protecting the properties of local bodies and the government which include parks, lakes, stormwater drains, land parcels, roads and footpaths from encroachment is its responsibility.

Over the last two years, HYDRAA has created history by venturing where nobody has ever ventured; it has pulled down structures raised in lakes, drains, and government lands and has secured parks and open spaces. Though initially sceptical about its drives, people soon started trusting the agency, as vouched by the thousands of complaints received by HYDRAA through its grievance platform ‘Prajavani’. In fact, the agency had to halt the programme for more than a month, unable to handle the deluge of petitions from the public. In contrast, a similar programme by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has seen numbers dwindle due to a loss of faith in the civic body.

Within two years, HYDRAA has reclaimed 3,325 acres of public property under lakes, drains, government lands, parks, open spaces, roads and footpaths, apart from its participation in other tasks related to disaster response and lake development. Most of its operations were undertaken upon public requests or upon requests by other departments.

More often than not, the agency has entered into legal crosshairs, and has been repeatedly upbraided by the Telangana High Court for violating stay orders on certain disputed lands. The final straw was when a High Court order favouring a realtor with regard to a particular land title was flouted more than once.

However, the HYDRAA chief is standing his ground. His defence is that the title which is being disputed in court had no relation to the land he cleared on the ground, which he claims is government land occupied by the builder in question.

His contention that land sharks have excelled, in what he calls, ‘court craft’ in cahoots with revenue, irrigation and municipal officials has more than its share of truth.

Corruption in real estate

The real estate mafia is one of the most powerful forces of corruption in Telangana, and especially Hyderabad, holding many pubic servants in its grip. Documents are hidden, titles are changed, water courses are altered, maps are redrawn, court cases are weakened, and appeals are never filed — all to benefit builders or developers often times in collusion with the political class. The Telangana Anti Corruption Bureau had filed a record number of cases in the quarter ending June 30, which speaks volumes about the corruption intertwined with the system.

HYDRAA as of now derives its strength from its chief, who in turn enjoys the unflinching support of the Chief Minister holding the Municipal Administration and Urban Development portfolio. While strengthening an individual over institutions is not a democratic way of functioning, compromising institutions by giving up public assets to favour a clique of realtors is not democracy either.

Besides announcing his support for HYDRAA, the CM should pay serious attention to the scourge of corruption institutionalised in the State’s public departments.