The Telangana High Court on Wednesday rejected a petition seeking a stay on demolition of a farmhouse abutting Osman Sagar Lake that was linked to BRS leader KT Rama Rao. The court ordered the newly created task force HYDRAA to protect lakes and government land from encroachments to proceed according to the government order. The farmhouse had been in the thick of controversy since Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had gone to jail during the BRS regime for using drone to photograph the farmhouse claiming that it belonged to the then urban development minister KT Rama Rao and owner realtor Pradeep Reddy Badvelu was his front or benaami. Rao, now in Opposition, claimed that he had only leased it and instead challenged HYDRAA to demolish the farmhouses of the bigwigs of Congress which stand in FTL or buffer zone of lakes.

BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Wednesday denied that he owned the farmhouse in Janwada village. “I don’t own any house in Janwada. The farmhouse in Janwada is owned by my friend from whom I have taken it on lease. If the land is FTL (full tank level) I welcome HYDRAA to do a survey, I will request my friend to take the court petition back. Let HYDRAA fix a date. I will personally stand and see the demolition but after that HYDRAA should also take action on the bigwigs of Congress Chief Minister, minister and MLAs whose houses are in buffer zone and FTL,” said KT Rama Rao.

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He named state revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, veteran Congress leader KVP Ramachandra Rao, ex-minister Patnam Mahender Reddy, chairman of legislative council Sukhendu Reddy and ruling party leader Madhu Yakshi Goud as those who have properties in buffer zone on FTL of the lake under government order (GO)111. Stating HYDRAA “does not have the guts to demolish the farms of big Congress leaders built in the lake”, he called for action against all these properties under GO 111, including that of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. GO111 was brought by the unified Andhra Pradesh government in 1996 to protect the catchment areas of Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar lakes which supplied drinking water to Hyderabad to prevent any contamination through land use. However, there are a number of farmhouses, mostly belonging to politicians across party lines which were built flouting the government order.

The realtor owner claimed in his petition that his property was situated outside FTL and the buffer zone of Osman Sagar Lake. However, Congress leaders alleged that half of the land on which the farmhouse stands was in the name of KT Rama Rao’s spouse.