BRS demands High Court judge-led probe into HYDRAA actions

Published - July 28, 2026 07:18 pm IST By The Hindu Bureau

HYDERABAD — The Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has demanded that the alleged excesses of HYDRAA and its discriminatory actions against illegal structures be investigated by a sitting judge of the High Court.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, party whip K.P. Vivekanand stated that the High Court verdict ordering the State Government to remove HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath from his post was the result of a campaign waged by BRS on behalf of the poor and middle-class, who he said were selectively victimised by the agency.

Mr. Vivekanand alleged that instead of standing by the people during times of disaster, HYDRAA was pushing them into disasters. He further claimed that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who holds the portfolio of Municipal Administration and Urban Development, had no moral right to remain in office following the court's directions.

Separately, party MLC Dasoju Sravan said the High Court verdict in a batch of petitions against HYDRAA was not a routine one. He noted that there were only a few instances where courts had directed governments to remove officers, citing examples in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and a few other states.

Mr. Sravan asserted that the comments made by Mr. Ranganath after the court judgment against him were not his own words but those of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. He questioned why HYDRAA, which had demolished hundreds of houses belonging to the poor, had not taken action against buildings owned by MIM leadership, even though they were located within the full tank level area of a water body. He also pointed out that a private construction company was building apartments on the bed of the Musi River.