“HYDRA: Telangana’s New Agency “
HYDRA, or the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection Agency, is a unified organization established by the Telangana government in July 2024. Its primary purpose is to manage disaster response and safeguard public assets within the Telangana Core Urban Region (TCUR). This region encompasses the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and extends to all urban and rural local bodies up to the Outer Ring Road (ORR).
The agency emerged from a reorganization of the existing Enforcement Vigilance and Disaster Management Department (EV&DM), which has been expanded from about 800 to 2,200 personnel. HYDRA operates under the leadership of A.V. Ranganath, the GHMC Commissioner of Enforcement Vigilance & Disaster Management (EV&DM), and is overseen by Dana Kishore, the principal secretary of Municipal Administration & Urban Development (MA&UD).
Structure of HYDRA
HYDRA was created on the initiative of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to address the challenges associated with Hyderabad’s rapid urban growth. The agency is organized into three key wings:
- Asset Protection Wing: This wing is responsible for protecting public assets, including parks, open spaces, playgrounds, lakes, and land parcels from encroachments. It also monitors private properties for compliance with building and town planning regulations and enforces penalties for illegal advertisements.
- Disaster Management Wing: This section coordinates disaster response and relief efforts through the Disaster Response Force (DRF). It collaborates with national and state agencies, as well as technical organizations such as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), to manage and mitigate disaster impacts.
- Logistics Support Wing: This wing provides essential disaster response information through the Disaster Response Information System, specifically for the Telangana Core Urban Region, to support effective disaster management and response.
HYDRA Demolishes Portion of N-Convention Centre for Encroachment
The newly established Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection Agency (HYDRA) has taken decisive action by demolishing a section of the N-Convention Centre, owned by Tollywood actor Nagarjuna. The demolition occurred in the Cyberabad area of Hyderabad and was prompted by allegations that 1.12 acres of the centre encroached upon the Full Tank Level (FTL) or buffer zone of Thammidi Kunta Lake.
