 |
|
The Cyberabad Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has taken action against six government officials for allegedly facilitating illegal construction within lakes and ponds across the commissionerate. This move follows a complaint filed by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Authority (HYDRAA) Commissioner A.V. Ranganath on August 30th. The complaint alleges that these officials actively encouraged illegal construction activities, leading to the encroachment of valuable water bodies.
The FIR, filed against the officials, includes serious charges such as criminal conspiracy, misappropriation, disobedience, abetment, and fabrication of evidence. Among those named in the FIR are P. Ramakrishna Rao, the Nizamabad Municipal Commissioner, and Poolsingh, the Bachupally MRO. They are accused of facilitating illegal construction within the buffer zone of Errakunta pond in Pragathi Nagar, Nizampet. The complaint highlights that the pond covers an area of 3.033 acres and that permissions were granted based on inaccurate geo-coordinates, placing the constructions 75 meters away from the actual location of the pond.
Furthermore, the complaint alleges that K Srinivasulu, Assistant Director, Survey and Land Records - Medchal-Malkajgiri, and Sudheer Kumar, Assistant Planning Officer, HMDA, played a role in the illegal constructions by failing to provide adequate documentation during the investigation. The complainant believes that they may have been biased towards the encroachers by manipulating the coordinates. This highlights a serious concern about the integrity of the officials involved and their potential complicity in illegal land grabbing practices.
In a separate case, Deputy Commissioner N. Sudhamsh and Assistant City Planner M. Raj Kumar of Circle-21, Chandanagar, GHMC, have also been booked for allowing encroachment of the buffer zone of Erla Cheruvu in Vaishali Nagar, Madinaguda. These officials are accused of granting building permissions and occupancy certificates for constructions that clearly violated buffer zone regulations, despite repeated warnings from the Irrigation department.
The Cyberabad EOW is currently investigating these cases, and the outcome of the investigation will be crucial in determining the extent of the officials' involvement in the illegal construction activities. This case raises serious concerns about the protection of water bodies and the need for stringent measures to prevent their encroachment. The authorities must take decisive action to ensure accountability and prevent such incidents from recurring in the future.
Source: HYDRAA files complaint against six government officials for encroachments in lakes and ponds