Telangana HC relief to property owners near Durgam Cheruvu
Hyderabad: In a major relief to owners, whose properties are said to have fallen in full tank level (FTL) and buffer zone of Durgam Cheruvu, the Telangana High Court on Monday directed the authorities concerned, including HYDRAA, not to demolish their houses till the boundaries were clearly demarcated through a final notification.
The property owners in Kavuri Hills and Amar Housing Society, who earlier received notices from GHMC, include A. Tirupathi Reddy, brother of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. While the civic body issued notices on the ground that the properties had come up in the FTL and buffer zone, the petitioners approached the court contending that only a preliminary but not a final notification of FTL was issued for the lake.
The HC bench, headed by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe, gave eight weeks to HMDA and irrigation department to issue final notification demarcating the FTL of Durgam Cheruvu. The court also fixed a schedule according to which the property owners should appear before the lake protection committee to convey their objections by October 4, based on which a final decision should be taken by the state agencies within six weeks from the hearing.
The court expressed displeasure at the authorities for deciding to take action against the buildings when the final notification of FTL was yet to be issued. The court also sought to know why there was a delay in issuing final notification when the preliminary notification was issued and objections were called for in 2014 itself.
“The life of the next generation is at stake. The attitude of the errant officials is provoking the courts,” the CJ pointed out.
The Division Bench was dealing with the three petitions, which were filed by Amar Housing Society of Guttala Begumpet and other individuals L. Urmila Devi and Boda Priyatam Reddy, who complained about re-fixing of FTL to Durgam Cheruvu as 165 acres from 65 acres and 12 guntas , which are available with the government records since 1970.
Senior counsels Avinash Desai, representing Amar Society, and P. Roy Reddy, for the individuals, submitted that the petitioners had already submitted their objections on the preliminary notification and the authorities have not taken any decision so far. But, all of sudden they are demolishing the constructions by stating that they fall in FTL limits.