On Saturday morning, the Telangana government razed the N Convention centre in Madhapur, Hyderabad without issuing any prior notices or information to its owner. Film actor and producer Akkineni Nagarjuna owns this posh property which is located near the Hi tech city. There have been many allegations since the last decade that it was constructed illegally by occupying a lake.
Under the newly formed HYDRA – Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection, which has been bulldozing illegal buildings in the city, the N Convention centre was pulled down to ground in a matter of two hours. This demolition has been the talking point all over media because it is owned by Akkineni Nagarjuna and also due to the fact that no previous government has ever tried to question the legality of the building.
Reacting on this issue, Nagarjuna posted a long note on his social media handles. He said he was 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”.
“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”.
“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 said.
How the government reacts on its action and Nag’s accusation will need to seen. 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.