All About HYDRA, Body Behind Nagarjuna's Convention Centre Demolition

The newly formed Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection Agency (HYDRA) recently demolished a part of the N-Convention Centre owned by Tollywood actor Nagarjuna. This action, carried out in the Cyberabad area of Hyderabad, was based on allegations that 1.12 acres of the centre encroached upon the Full Tank Level (FTL) or buffer zone of the Thammidi Kunta Lake. 

What is HYDRA?

HYDRA, or the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection Agency, is a unified body created by the Telangana government in July to manage disaster response and protect public assets within the Telangana Core Urban Region (TCUR). The TCUR includes the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and extends to all urban and rural local bodies up to the Outer Ring Road (ORR). 

The existing Enforcement Vigilance and Disaster Management Department (EV&DM) has been reorganised to fit into this new framework. Their strength has been upgraded from approximately 800 to 2,200 personnel. 

The agency is headed by the GHMC's Commissioner of Enforcement Vigilance & Disaster Management (EV&DM), A.V. Ranganath, and operates under the supervision of the Municipal Administration & Urban Development (MA&UD) principal secretary, Dana Kishore.

Sections of HYDRA

HYDRA was established under the directive of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who envisioned the agency as a comprehensive solution to the challenges posed by Hyderabad's rapid urban expansion. The agency is structured into three main wings:

• Asset Protection Wing: This will safeguard assets such as parks, open spaces, playgrounds, lakes, and land parcels from encroachments. It will also inspect private premises for compliance with building and town planning regulations and take penal action against illegal advertisements.
• Disaster Management Wing: This section will coordinate disaster response and relief work through the Disaster Response Force (DRF). It will work closely with national and state agencies, as well as technical agencies like the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA).
• Logistics Support Wing: This will provide critical disaster response information through the Disaster Response Information System for the Telangana core urban region area.

The Demolition of Nagarjuna's N-Convention Centre

The recent demolition of Nagarjuna's N-Convention Centre by HYDRA is part of its broader mandate to protect public assets and enforce urban regulations. The agency claimed that a portion of the convention centre had encroached on the FTL of the Thammidi Kunta Lake, violating environmental and urban planning norms. 

The actor, on Saturday, alleged that no notice was issued to him before the demolition. In a statement, he wrote, "The land is a Patta land, and not even an inch of tank plan is encroached. Today clearly, the demolition was carried out wrongfully based on misinformation. No notice was issued prior to carrying out the demolition this morning. As a law-abiding citizen, if the Court before which the matter is pending had decided against me, I would have carried out the demolition myself. I am placing this on record for the purpose of correcting any public misimpression about wrongful constructions or encroachment by us."

This move has put the spotlight on the HYDRA and put it under scrutiny of the Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). The BRS has accused the ruling Congress Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of using HYDRA as a tool for political vendetta ahead of the Assembly elections.