Hyderabad High Court seeks info on illegal AC usage

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court has directed the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments to inform it about the steps being taken to prevent the officers/offices for unauthorised use of air conditioners in government offices and their instrumentalities in both states, within four weeks. A division bench comprising Justice Vilas V. Afzulpurkar and Justice B. Siva Sankara Rao was dealing with a contempt case moved by the Forum for Better Living of Warangal represented by D. Padmaja, seeking to punish the officers responsible by ordering imprisonment in civil prison, for not implementing the order passed by the High Court.

The High Court on April 29, 2013 directed the authorities to implement the GO issued on August 21, 1980 to take steps to curb the unauthorised usage of air conditioners in government offices and their instrumentalities in the erstwhile AP. While dismissing the PIL, the court observed that “It is for the government to look into the matter. This court cannot monitor the issue. We only direct the respondent authorities to implement the GO.”

The petitioner said in view of power scarcity and financial burden, the government has to take steps to curb the unauthorised use of ACs in its offices, but it failed to do so. Alleging that despite the court, the officers failed to curb unauthorised use of ACs in offices of both the states, following which the petitioner moved the contempt case. K. Ramakrishna Reddy, advocate-general submitted that the Telangana government had already issued a circular to the head of the departments to take necessary steps to regulate the unauthorised usage and also removal of ACs installed in offices illegally.

P. Venugopal, advocate general of AP said that the AP government has also initiated steps to regulate the use of ACs in government offices. Pointing out that unauthorised use of ACs will have an adverse effect on power scarcity in view of the arrival of summer, the bench asked both the advocate-generals to file the affidavits explaining the steps that are taken to curb the unauthorised usage of air conditioners in government offices.

Polls ordered in Olympian bodies

Justice A. Rajasekhar Reddy of the Hyderabad High Court directed the AP Olympic Associ-ation and authorities concerned to hold elections to AP Olympic Association and Telangana State Olympic Association separately.

The judge was dealing with a plea by P. Malla Reddy, secretary of Ranga Reddy district olympic association, and K.P. Rao, secretary of Krishna District Olympic Association seeking to hold elections separately to the association of AP and Telangana forthwith.

They submitted that all the state level sports associations affiliated to AP Olympic Association have been divided after bifurcation of the state of AP and new bodies were formed for both Telangana and AP states.

They said that the AP Olympic association which now controls sports activities of both the states has failed to take steps to conduct polls to both the state associations though the term of office of the existing committee ended on June 20, 2013.