Hyderabad: HYDRAA officials on Monday said they had removed boundary walls built around 7.16 acres of public utilities land at the Ekashila Layout in Korremula, part of Pocharam municipality near Ghatkesar. The land was meant for public parks and roadways.
HYDRAA in a statement said that the Ekashila layout was formed in 1987 over 149 acres, with 2,080 plots spread across Survey No.s 739 to 749. Disputes began in 2005 when family members of C. Dasharadh Goud and M. Lakshmaiah sold nearly 47 acres of the land as agricultural plots to several people, including one Aluri Venkatesh.
According to HYDRAA, in 2002, 7.16 acres were taken by the then government under the Urban Land Ceiling Act, but was later returned to the owners. Instead of handing the land to buyers in the layout, the owners sold it to others, causing further disputes.
The second owners of the land, despite passbooks of the land being cancelled and nullified by revenue officials, raised compound walls around the 7.16 acres.
The first owners complained to HYDRAA about the situation, and requested commissioner A.V. Ranganath to protect the land and its parkland and roadways. Commissioner Ranganath inspected the site, and also held discussions with the parties.
Officials said that Korremula village fell under Pocharam municipality; though the gram panchayat has no power to issue permits to raise the boundary wall, the owners insisted that they took permissions from the gram panchayat. HYDRAA confirmed that the wall was illegal, and removed it.