GHMC teams have swooped down on the encroachments inside the Mir Alam Tank during the early hours of Wednesday, and demolished a number of them.
In a three-hour operation that began at about 6.30 a.m., over 300 personnel from various departments such as GHMC, Revenue, and Police surrounded the area, and pulled down the structures impinging into the full tank level (FTL) of the lake. The structures pulled down included finished ones as well as those under construction. As per official information, many structures have come up in the lake bed over the years, resulting in shrinkage of the lake, and inundation of the surrounding localities whenever there was excess water due to heavy rains.
40 structures razed
A total of 40 structures, all commercial, including warehouses, workshops, manufacturing units, and storage facilities have been cleared using heavy machinery and tools, officials informed. “There were RCC structures, as well as temporary sheds among those pulled down. Some of them were being used for manufacture of products such as tiles, plastic bags, and others. We have given them notices and demolished them after following due procedure,” informed Charminar zonal commissioner Srinivas Reddy under whose supervision the operation was carried out.
In all, six to eight acres of land inside the FTL has been freed of encroachments, he informed. Forces from Enforcement wing too headed by Director, Enforcement, Vigilance and Disaster Management (EVDM) Viswajit Kampati, have been roped in for the operation, besides heavy deployment of police under the supervision of two Additional Commissioners of Police. A total of 10 earth moving machines, and two building cutting machines were used for the operation.
The operation has been carried out in view of the High Court taking special interest in the plight of the lakes in the city, and reviewing the situation from time to time. A division bench of Telangana High Court has, in April, directed the State government to submit detailed action plan regarding protection of lakes and rivers from encroachments, and their rejuvenation.
Before that, MP Asaduddin Owaisi had drawn attention of the Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar towards the plight of the lake, and sought it to be developed and rejuvenated.