HYDRAA demolishes Nagarjuna’s Rs 400 crore lake conclave

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Disaster Relief and Property Protection Agency (HYDRAA) on Saturday morning demolished the high-profile N-Convention Centre owned by Tollywood actor Akkineni Nagarjuna. The centre located in Madhapur was allegedly encroaching upon the Full Tank Level (FTL) and buffer zone of the Thamidi Kunta lake.

The structure spread over 3.3 acres, which has an estimated market value of around Rs 400 crore, was allegedly built without the requisite building permission. Known for its state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology, the convention centre has been the centre of controversy for over a decade due to its location in the FTL and buffer zone of the lake.

Responding to the demolition, Nagarjuna called the action illegal and claimed that it was patta land and said that “not even an inch of the tank plan has been encroached”. “The previous illegal notice for demolition was also stayed. No notice was issued to us before the demolition this morning. It is not proper to do so when the matter is in court,” Nagarjuna said on X. Hydra commissioner AV Ranganath later clarified that “no stay order has been received from any court” and said N-Convention, which built in the FTL/buffer zone, did not have permission to build. “N-Convention is clearly manipulating the system and process and continuing its business activities through unauthorised structures constructed in the FTL and buffer zone,” he said. He said the centre had encroached 1.12 acres of land in the FTL and 2.18 acres in the buffer zone without permission to build and its attempts to regularise the unauthorised structures under the Building Regulation Scheme were rejected by the authorities. After the demolition began, Nagarjuna’s N-Convention approached the Telangana High Court in the morning. The court granted an interim stay on the demolition till afternoon. By then, the structure had completely collapsed. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, when he was in the TDP, had questioned the then BRS government as to why the convention centre was allowed to function even though it had encroached upon the FTL and buffer zones.

Hydra chief: Waterlogging due to massive encroachment

The Hydra commissioner said that unchecked encroachment around the Thamidi Kunta lake and its associated drains has led to severe waterlogging in areas around Madhapur and Hitech City.

The low-lying areas of Thamidi Kunta Cheruvu regularly get waterlogged during heavy rains due to the lake’s capacity being reduced by more than 50-60 per cent. “Many houses of lower and middle class people in these low-lying areas are getting submerged, causing huge damage to their property,” he said in the press release.

On August 21, Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy sent a letter to Ranganath, highlighting that the convention centre was built within the FTL area and with a high retaining wall, reducing the water spread area of ​​the lake. He urged immediate action to resolve the issue.

Environmentalists and lake activists also supported the demolition, and urged HYDRAA to restore the lake to its original size. Over the years, the management of N-Convention has been accused of using its influence to circumvent regulatory actions of GHMC and other higher authorities.

Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, when asked about the demolition during his Delhi visit, accused previous governments of not preserving water bodies and stressed the need to preserve them for future generations.