Telangana CM to crack down on lake encroachments with iron fist

Hyderabad, August 25 A day after authorities here demolished a convention centre co-owned by actor Nagarjuna, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said his government would not spare those encroaching on lakes and would also take strong action against such activities even if they are influential in the society. Speaking at a function of the Hare Krishna Movement, Reddy said he would follow the preaching of Lord Krishna which proclaims that for the good of the people, one should follow Dharma to defeat Adharma through a struggle. Officials of the Hyderabad Asset Protection and Disaster Response Agency, GHMC, town planning, irrigation and revenue departments on Saturday removed encroachments at the full tank level of the buffer zones of Tammidikunta lake and among the many structures removed, N-Convention, co-owned by Nagarjuna, was also one of the unauthorised structures. The N-Convention is built in the FTL/Buffer zone and does not have any construction permission, a government statement said. “That is the reason despite pressures, even though friends have farmhouses, HYDRAA was formed. I want to do something good to the people as part of that. The only aim is to free these lakes from encroachers. We will crush encroachments with an iron fist. Even though there is pressure, we will not back down and will remove such encroachments,” the CM said. Lakes are a part of Indian culture and people depend on them for their livelihood. He also said that some of the farmhouses built near the lakes release sewage into drinking water bodies like Gandipet, which supplies drinking water to parts of the city. He further said that he will not be a true public representative if he does not protect the lakes and the interests of the people. The city’s chain of lakes was designed by the erstwhile Nizam administration after a major flood in 1908 with the help of famous engineer Mokshagundam Vishvesvaraya.