Hyderabad: HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath said on Monday that he had discharged his duties in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution and would legally contest all contempt cases filed against him. His remarks came after the Telangana High Court directed the State government to appoint another officer as HYDRAA Commissioner in connection with the Lothukunta land case.
Responding to the court’s observations, Ranganath said HYDRAA protected government assets by acting under Articles 21 and 48A of the Constitution. Accordingly, he said honesty and fearlessness guided the agency’s work in safeguarding public property.
He said HYDRAA had protected government assets worth more than ₹1.5 lakh crore. Moreover, HYDRAA fully restored six lakes and continued restoration work at 20 others. He also said HYDRAA recovered thousands of acres of government land from encroachments.
Meanwhile, Ranganath alleged that action against major land encroachers had triggered attacks on HYDRAA. He claimed the land mafia was misleading courts with false information. He also said HYDRAA had protected government land worth about ₹10,000 crore at Lothukunta.
HYDRAA Commissioner says action followed complaints
Ranganath alleged that developers blasted Heritage hillocks without the required permissions. Furthermore, he said HYDRAA initiated action only after receiving complaints from the Save the Rocks Society and local residents. He claimed people who had encroached on government land had filed the contempt cases against him.
He said 63 contempt cases were pending against him. However, he said he would contest every case through the legal process. He also said he had complete faith in the judiciary and would deliver results in any responsibility the government assigns. He reiterated that protecting lakes, parks and government land remained HYDRAA’s objective.
Earlier in the day, the Telangana High Court expressed serious dissatisfaction with Ranganath’s conduct in the Lothukunta land case. Consequently, it directed the Chief Secretary to appoint a qualified officer as HYDRAA Commissioner. The court observed that if Ranganath continued in the post, it would undermine the rule of law, and it said replacing him was the only available course.