Telangana High Court Asks Situation Regarding NITHM Structures in Lake Buffer District | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: Perturbed by conflicting claims regarding removal of encroachments at Ramamma Kunta in Gachibowli, the Telangana high court on Thursday directed the state government to file a declaration within two weeks of illegal structures raised by the National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management (NITHM). The buffer zone of the lake may or may not have been completely destroyed.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao was hearing a PIL filed by the Ministry of Justice. Human Rights and Consumer Protection Cell Foundationan NGO, directed the NGO to make a statement reiterating its position on the matter, as the foundation’s lawyer claimed that the illegal structures were not completely demolished, contrary to what the authorities claimed.
While issuing a warning that the erring party would have to face the consequences of deliberately trying to mislead the court, the panel said, “We will confirm the situation after reviewing the statements of both parties.”
Although the bench, while hearing this PIL in the past, had given a general direction to the HMDA commissioner to inform the status of all lakes within the HMDA jurisdiction, it confined the PIL filed by the trust to Ramamma Kunta during the hearing on Thursday.
The bench directed the registrar to register a separate suo motu petition in respect of 3,000 lakes within the jurisdiction of HMDA. The PIL petitioner’s counsel was seen opposing any demolition until final notifications are issued on all 3,000 lakes.
The bench expressed doubt as to whether the intention of the petitioner was to support rapists under the garb of this PIL. Special government lawyer Pottigari Sridhar Reddy informed the court that the PIL filed by the trust relates only to Ramamma Kunta.
The bench reminded that HMDA commissioner Sarfaraz Ahmed had appeared before the court in the past and provided information about the status of lakes under HMDA. He said there are 3,532 lakes under HMDA, which issued the final notification specifying lake area, FTL and buffer zones for 230 lakes.
Regarding 2,525 lakes, HMDA may issue preliminary notifications and is in the process of issuing final notifications. The state counselor requested some time to complete this task. The case will come to light in two weeks.