A major enforcement drive by Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency led to the removal of illegal encroachments and the protection of designated public spaces in different parts of Hyderabad and its outskirts.The HYDRAA officials carried a second major operation in Mailardevpally village under Rajendranagar mandal of Ranga Reddy district, securing a 6,500-square yard playground in Shastripuram Colony.In an earlier operation in the same mandal, the agency salvaged whatever was left of Bam Rukn ud Dowlah lake from land grabbers who filled up the lake and constructed buildings on it.Sources from HYDRAA informed under the condition of anonymity that this time too, the errant were the same persons who had filled in the lake.The reclaimed land formed part of a 188-acre layout approved by the then Hyderabad Urban Development Authority, with 1,800 plots and a playground.The encroachers had been plotting the land allocated for playground and selling them for the past two years, by creating notarised documents. Acting on complaints from the residents, HYDRAA officials, together with the officials from Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and Revenue department, carried out a field inspection and confirmed the land’s designated use as a playground.They also learnt that although GHMC had earlier issued notices and even passed speaking orders in 2024 for demolition, construction activity continued unabated.During the operation on Wednesday, HYDRAA demolished five ground-plus-three floor buildings under construction and two smaller single-room structures. Two more occupied buildings were left untouched. Residents reportedly alleged that those behind the encroachments were influential and had threatened locals who opposed them.In a separate case on the same day, HYDRAA protected a 968-square-yard park site in Akshaya Enclave of Medchal-Malkajgiri district. The layout, spread over 7.12 acres and approved in 1983, had designated the land for a park. Following complaints that an individual identified as Abdul Rehman alias Gopal was attempting to encroach the land using forged documents, HYDRAA conducted a verification and confirmed its status as park land.Authorities noted that the GHMC had already constructed a boundary wall and installed a gate around the park. Attempts to secure construction permissions in 2019 using fraudulent documents had led to legal wrangles, a statement from HYDRAA informed.Published - April 01, 2026 09:28 pm IST