Hyderabad HC seeks info from GHMC on road repairs

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday directed the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to file an affidavit explaining the steps being taken to repair the roads that have been severely damaged in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice A. Shankar Narayana was dealing with a PIL by senior advocate and BJP MLC N. Ramachandra Rao seeking to direct the TS government to take immediate steps to repair the roads.

S. Sriram, counsel for the petitioner, brought to the notice of the court that poor road conditions and increase in the number of potholes in the recent past have led to loss of human lives.

He submitted that the recent incessant rains across the state damaged the existing roads and this has become a cause of concern for regular commuters.
When the bench sought the response from counsel for the GHMC, he replied that so far they have identified 480 roads that needed repairs or re-laying and 83 works are under progress.

Counsel said that they need some more time to complete all the works as they can only be carried out at night. He said that so far, the GHMC has spent about Rs 20 crore to improve the condition of the roads. When counsel sought time to file the counter affidavit, the bench granted two weeks’ time and adjourned the matter.

Giving a clear warning to shopkeepers who are occupy footpaths in the city, the Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday ordered the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to immediately seal 106 shops located in Siddiambar Bazaar.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice A. Shankar Narayana, while dealing with a petition by Laxminivas Agarwal, a resident of Mahbubgunj of the city seeking removal of illegal encroachments, expressed anger at the shopkeepers for violating the assurance given to the court earlier.

Earlier, when the court issued notices to the shopkeepers on the petition, they appeared before the court and promised that they will not use to footpath to display their wares in the future.

The petitioner recently brought to the notice of the court that the shopkeepers have violated the assurance given to the court. The court has asked the GHMC authorities to verify the fact and submit the report.

When the petition came up for hearing, Mahender Reddy, special counsel for TS, placed the report before the bench. After perusing the report, the bench ordered the GHMC to seal the 106 shops.