HYDERABAD: The Telangana government has cancelled three Government Orders (GOs) issued by the previous administration that changed the land use of about 40 acres near Fox Sagar lake in Dulapally village of Dundigal mandal.
The land is linked to former minister Malla Reddy's sons, Bhadra Reddy and Mahender Reddy, and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Kalvakuntla Vamshidhar.
Land-use changes under scrutiny
According to an order issued by Special Chief Secretary (Municipal Administration) Jayesh Ranjan, the land falls within the Full Tank Level (FTL), buffer zone, recreation zone and open land around Fox Sagar lake. Despite this, the previous government reclassified the land for residential and commercial use.
The government said layout and building permissions granted on the basis of those GOs should be reviewed and appropriate action taken. It also directed that criminal cases be registered against officials found responsible for the alleged violations.
Sonia Gandhi backs Telangana Rising Global Summit
Survey ordered to identify lake boundaries
The government directed the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), Irrigation Department, Revenue Department, HYDRAA, and the Department of Survey, Land Records and Settlement to conduct a joint survey, identify the lake boundaries on the ground and submit a report on the present status.
The cancelled GOs include:
- GO Ms No. 201 (September 29, 2023): Changed 10 acres in Survey Nos. 118/P and 119/P from open space to residential zone.
- GO Ms No. 74 (June 19, 2019): Changed 23.09 acres in Survey Nos. 122, 124/5 and 126/55 from open space to commercial use.
- GO Ms No. 67 (June 4, 2019): Changed 7.33 acres in Survey Nos. 118, 119 and 122 from recreation/open space to residential use.
Layouts reportedly flooded
Fox Sagar spreads over about 490 acres. The government said Survey Nos. 118, 119, 121, 124 and 126 fall within the lake's FTL and buffer zone. Lands owned by Malla Reddy, Vamshidhar and others are located in these survey numbers.
Creative Developers, owned by Vamshidhar, developed a layout over eight acres in January 2021. Other BRS leaders also developed residential ventures in the area. Local residents said several of these layouts were inundated during heavy rains in 2020.