Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy defended the demolition of a convention center co-owned by Telugu actor Nagarjuna, drawing on Lord Krishna’s teachings. Reddy emphasized that his government would not tolerate encroachments on lakes, even if the offenders are influential figures. During an event hosted by the Hare Krishna Movement, he highlighted the need to uphold Dharma for the greater good, as preached by Lord Krishna.
On Saturday, authorities from the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), along with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and other departments, demolished N-Convention in Madhapur. According to a government statement, the building was illegally constructed on the Full Tank Level (FTL) and buffer zones of Tammidikunta Lake, without the required permissions.
Despite an interim stay from the Telangana High Court later that day, the authorities proceeded with the demolition, stating that all due procedures had been followed.
Reddy emphasized, “The sole objective is to liberate these lakes from the encroachers. We will crush encroachments with an iron hand. Though there are pressures, we will not go back and we will remove those encroachments.” He also underscored the historical significance of Hyderabad’s lakes, initially designed by the Nizam administration to mitigate flooding in 1908 with the help of engineer Mokshagundam Vishvesvaraya, and vowed to protect these vital water bodies from further encroachment.
Nagarjuna’s Response to the Demolition
Nagarjuna, expressing his disappointment on the social media platform ‘X,’ claimed that the demolition was unjust and based on incorrect information. He insisted that the land where N-Convention was built is “Patta land” and denied any encroachment on the lake’s area.
He further stated, “I am pained by the ‘unlawful’ manner of demolition carried out in respect of N-Convention, contrary to existing stay orders and court cases.” The actor clarified that no notice was given before the demolition, and a stay order had been issued against any previous demolition attempts.
“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,” he added.
