Hyderabad: A young boy’s heartfelt appeal for space to play cricket has triggered one of Hyderabad’s largest land reclamation drives, leading to the demolition of unauthorised structures and recovery of 39 acres of government land in two prime locations, media reports said.

According to a Times of India report, the boy had written to the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection Agency (Hydraa), complaining that an open plot once used by children for cricket in Raidurg was being fenced off and transformed into a real estate project.

He also flagged concerns about a nearby lake being filled to pave roads and carve out housing plots.

Acting swiftly, Hydraa officials inspected the site near the dargah in Raidurg's Shaikpet mandal and uncovered widespread encroachment in survey no. 5/2.

Hydraa commissioner A.V. Ranganath told The Times of India that the inspection revealed that 39 acres of government land had been illegally occupied.

“Despite signage marking it as disputed, Narne Estates had put up their own boards, advertising plots for sale. Roads were being laid and plots marketed without any authorisation. Even the lake was being filled in,” he added.

Hydraa razed the illegal infrastructure, removed encroachments, marked the land as government property, and filed a police case against Narne Estates for land grabbing, unauthorised construction, and encroachment on water bodies.

In a simultaneous operation in Hafeezpet under Serilingampally municipality,

Hydraa cracked down on another massive encroachment involving 39.2 acres in survey no. 79 — more than half of which had already been developed with residential and commercial structures.

According to Ranganath, “Vasantha Homes manipulated survey records to create a fake sub-survey number and developed 19 acres into a housing venture. The rest was converted into office spaces and sheds, which were rented to private entities.”

The encroached land is under litigation in the Supreme Court, which had explicitly barred any development until a final ruling.

“Despite the court’s direction, the construction went ahead. In a recent hearing, the Supreme Court expressed shock and questioned how such violations could occur despite clear judicial orders,” Ranganath added.

Hydraa has since removed illegal boundary walls and internal structures, posting signage to declare the land as government property.