No post-demolition measures at water bodies raise eyebrows

Rangareddy: Although the enforcement teams from HYDRA roll out their machines to clear encroachments in water bodies in the city and its outskirts, rudimentary measures such as fencing the FTL and buffer zones by the Irrigation authorities which are missing on the ground are raising many eyebrows.

HYDRA took up several demolition drives to remove encroachments in FTLs and buffer zones of several water bodies in the district, including the historic Bum Ruknud Dowla Lake.

Last week, the enforcement authorities from HYDRA zeroed-in on the lake opposite the National Police Academy, Shivarampally, and pulled down several structures they said came up in the FTL area of the water body and a stream Nehr-e-Hussaini. The lake at Shivarampally is one among the two dozen water bodies notified by the HMDA in Rajendranagar mandal.

It goes without saying that the Irrigation authorities made several failed attempts to fence the lake FTL area during the last five years. They came up with a plan to fence the lake with an estimated outlay of Rs 45 lakh in 2019, but failed to ground work due to political pressure.

Later, officials tried it hard again when they slapped notices to nearly two dozen owners of structures, they said, were found in FTL of the lake in pursuance of the order passed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2021-22.

However, this time too they did not succeed in safeguarding the lake FTL area. Owing to nature of threat, the officials said, they gave up measures to safeguard the lake which is a part of an inseparable water course from Shankarpally to Musi river.

“We rolled-out measures time and again to safeguard the lake from brazen encroachments in the past. However, all attempts went in vain due to extensive political pressure,” said an official on condition of anonymity. However, he said, the newly formed enforcement body picked up the issue as part of the campaign to safeguard water bodies; we are hopeful that fencing work around the lake will get a nod this time.

“Although no orders have been passed so far pertaining to fencing of the lake FTL and buffer zone from higher-ups, any such communication will help us draw the lines again to ensure appropriate sanctuary around the lake,” he added.

However, the official was unaware of the recent instructions issued by the collector asking for measures to safeguard water bodies from encroachments by fencing.

The RR collector K Shashanka, during a review meeting last week, had ordered the Irrigation and Revenue officials to take up protection of lakes on a priority. He told officials to carry out field inspections of the water bodies in the district and put up fencing and caution boards there after identifying the FTLs and buffer zones.