"Would Have Demolished It Myself": Actor Nagarjuna Slams Civic Bodies

Actor Nagarjuna Akkineni has strongly condemned the authorities in Hyderabad for what he claimed was "unlawful" demolition of his N-Convention Centre in the city's Madhapur neighbourhood.

He said he would have demolished the structure himself if the court where the matter is pending had decided against him, but the court had ordered an interim stay on the demolition work.

The authorities had said the N-Convention Centre was allegedly built on encroached land which is part of Tammidikunta lake.

The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), the municipal body, town planning, irrigation and revenue departments have been removing encroachments from the buffer zones of the lake. The N-Convention Centre was one of the unauthorised structures, the authorities said in a statement.

Responding to the demolition of his project, Nagarjuna Akkineni said he will go to court against the "wrong actions carried out by the authorities."

"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," Nagarjuna Akkineni said in a post on X.

"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," Nagarjuna Akkineni said, referring to the Telangana High Court's interim order halting the demolition of N-Convention Centre, following a petition by the facility's management.

"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," the actor said.

"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.

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...

According to the HYDRAA, in 2014, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) issued a notification for Tammidikunta lake describing its buffer zones. N-Convention had then approached the high court. The final notification was issued in 2016.

Due to encroachments in and around Tammidikunta lake and connecting drains, the area around Madhapur have been facing water-logging issues, HYDRAA had said.

N-Convention on its website says it is managed by N3 Enterprises and jointly owned by Nagarjuna Akkineni and Nalla Preetham.