HYDRAA has warned Hyderabad residents and property operators against paying people who impersonate the agency’s officials and demand money by promising or threatening official intervention. The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency said victims should report such cases to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), the police or HYDRAA itself.
In a statement issued on Friday, the agency said it had received complaints and noticed social media reports about individuals allegedly using HYDRAA’s name to intimidate people and collect money. It urged the public not to believe demands for payment linked to action against buildings or other interventions by the agency.
HYDRAA clarified that it does not independently act against illegal constructions or unauthorised buildings. According to the agency, it acts on requests from the Greater Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri municipal corporations to remove dangerous buildings that pose a threat to public safety.
The clarification is significant because action against unsafe or unauthorised structures involves multiple civic authorities. HYDRAA’s statement identified the three municipal corporations as the bodies that request action to remove dangerous buildings, while also warning that no individual is authorised to demand money in exchange for preventing or arranging such action.
The agency asked people who encounter alleged extortion attempts to approach HYDRAA, the ACB or their local police stations. It did not provide details of specific cases, the number of complaints received or whether arrests had been made in connection with the allegations.
HYDRAA also cautioned hostel operators against running facilities in structurally unsafe buildings. It said operators had been given until December 31 to shift their hostels to safer premises to prevent possible loss of life in the event of building collapses. After that deadline, the agency said it would take action along with municipal officials.
The warning places structural safety and enforcement on the same public-safety track as the agency’s appeal against impersonation. For hostel operators, the stated deadline creates an immediate compliance requirement, although the statement did not specify how premises would be assessed, what documents operators would need to submit or what penalties would follow non-compliance.
HYDRAA’s latest statement therefore combines two separate concerns: alleged financial exploitation of people through impersonation, and the continued operation of hostels in buildings the agency considers structurally unsafe. The agency’s stated next steps are for victims to file complaints with the police, ACB or HYDRAA, and for hostel operators to relocate facilities before December 31.
