1 week Ago By Prathyush Nallella
Hyderabad: In a great relief to Divyanagar Layout and surrounding colonies, the HYDRAA demolished more than 4-km-long compound walls and entry gates built by Nalla Malla Reddy at Korremula near Pocharam Municipality on Saturday. Starting from 8 am, HYDRAA officials demolished the compound wall and gates leading to the ventures with bulldozers and amid tight police protection. Authorities stated that Nalla Malla Reddy, director of an engineering college name after himself, had illegally built compound walls around Divyanagar and other layouts and erected a gate with security guards, not allowing plot owners to visit their lands.
Plot owners, including some who have houses in the layout, complained to HYDRAA that Nalla Malla Reddy had closed off the roads of Divyanagar and Ekashila layouts, Venkatadri Township, Suprabath Ventures 1, 2 and 3, Maheshwari Colony, Kachavani Colony, Pratap Singaram Road, Saipriya Colony, Medipally, Parvathpur, Chennareddy Colony, Hills View Colony and Muttelliguda. Based on the complaints, HYDRAA commissioner A.V.
Ranganath inspected the location on January 8. Authorities used layout maps, Survey of India maps and drones to determine the extent of the illegal construction. The plot owners include more than 1,000 Singareni Collieries employees who have bought more than 2,200 plots from Nalla Malla Reddy since the late 1990s.
HYDRAA authorities said that the development agreement clearly required Nalla Malla Reddy to deliver drainage, roads and other infrastructure to the plot owners. Instead, Nalla Malla Reddy constructed a compound wall around the 200-acre area in the name of security. He closed all of the roads to the ventures and gave just two entry and exit points for nearly six colonies.
Commissioner Ranganath, on January 23, held a meeting with Nalla Malla Reddy and the plot owners, where they voiced a range of grievances. The owners complained that they couldn’t even sell the plots to other people. Even if someone was willing to buy the plot, Nalla Malla Reddy set a rule that all sales must happen in his presence and the sellers have to pay him a fee of `50,000, they complained.
They complained, in the presence of Ranganath and Nalla Malla Reddy, that the college owner had set up his henchmen at the entry and exit points of the venture, and if the owner or anyone else wanted to see the plot, they would only be allowed if they come in at times he specified. If anyone questioned him, his henchmen would beat them and send them away. Commissioner Ranganath asked Nalla Malla Reddy who gave him the authority to impose the conditions.
“How are you responsible for protecting the venture? Police and other officials will be the ones responsible to protect the venture. Who are you to protect it”, he questioned. Plot owners and locals expressed immense joy after HYDRAA removed the wall, with many thanking Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for setting up HYDRAA and commissioner Ranganath for the quick and action-packed response.
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