This action was part of an ongoing drive to remove illegal constructions that have encroached on water bodies and public lands in the state.
The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRAA) authority on Saturday began the demolition of actor Akkineni Nagarjuna’s N Convention Centre in Madhapur area of Ranga Reddy district in Telangana. The actor called the demolition ‘unlawful’ in a statement and approached the High Court, which ordered a stay on it.
This action was part of an ongoing drive to remove illegal constructions that have encroached on water bodies and public lands in the state. The demolition drive began in the early hours of Saturday, with HYDRA officials arriving on-site, accompanied by a contingent of police personnel to ensure the process proceeded without interruption.
VIDEO | Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRA) authorities have started demolishing actor Nagarjuna’s N-Convention Centre located in the Madhapur area of Ranga Reddy district, Telangana. This action comes following allegations that the facility… pic.twitter.com/20XIVb4CZ5тАФ Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 24, 2024
High Court Orders Stay
The Telangana High Court on Saturday intervened on the actor’s petition and ordered a stay on the demolition, as claimed by the Nagarjuna’s team. A statement released by his team reads, “High Court ordered a stay on demolition of structures owned by Nagarjuna, N-Convention. The actor approached the court for the stay order and was granted it. Justice T Vinod Kumar conducted the inquiry. High Court has issued an interim order to stop demolitions.”
The convention center, spanning across 10 acre, was found to be in violation of several land use and environmental regulations. The center had allegedly encroached upon the Tummidikunta lake, occupying 1.12 acre within the Full Tank Level (FTL) and an additional 2 acre within the lake’s buffer zone, NDTV report said.
Actor calls action ‘unlawful’
The actor expressed his anger and said that the demolition was carried in an unlawful manner. In a post on X, Nagarjuna said, “Pained by the unlawful manner of demolition carried out in respect of N Convention, contrary to existing stay orders and Court cases. I thought it fit to issue this statement to place on record certain facts for protecting my reputation and to indicate that we have not done any actions in violation of law.
Nagarjuna claimed that the land on which the property was constructed was the Patta land and no tank plan’s land was encroached.
“The land is a Patta land, and not even an inch of tank plan is encroached. In respect of the building constructed inside the private land, there is a stay order granted against any earlier illegal notice for demolition. Today clearly, the demolition was carried out wrongfully based on misinformation,” he said.
Pained by the unlawful manner of demolition carried out in respect of N Convention, contrary to existing stay orders and Court cases.I thought it fit to issue this statement to place on record certain facts for protecting my reputation and to indicate that we have not done any…— Nagarjuna Akkineni (@iamnagarjuna) August 24, 2024
He further claimed that no prior notice was issued before carrying out the demolition. The actor said that he would be approach the court against the action.
“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. We would be seeking appropriate relief from the Court in relation to the wrong actions carried out by the authorities,” he added.
For years, the management of N-Convention has faced accusations of using their influence to bypass regulatory actions from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and other higher authorities, thus avoiding the repercussions of their encroachments.
Earlier this week, illegal constructions in the FTL and buffer zone areas of Gandipet Lake were demolished, several news reports said.
