Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday said the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) had turned a Nelson’s eye to the rampant illegal constructions in the city.
The court was particularly referring to illegal constructions at Prashasan Nagar in Jubilee Hills by Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Ram Prawesh Thakur.
A division bench of Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice T. Amarnath Goud while dealing with a public interest litigation brought by Alla Ramakrishna Reddy against the GHMC for its apathy in removing the illegal constructions, observed that the civic staff rises from a coma only after it gets scratched by somebody.
The court remarked that it was the laxity of GHMC officials that encouraged violators to build illegal constructions without fear.
The court directed the GHMC to maintain status quo of the alleged illegal constructions made by the DGP and issued a showcase notice on March2, 2019 to him, asking him to reply within 24 hours.
The court found fault on the given time period to reply by citing a Supreme Court directive that a minimum of seven days should be given to respond to a showcause notice. The court said its orders could not prevent the GHMC from taking action against illegal constructions by issuing a fresh notice and remarked that only after shunting prodding from the courts or some other authority does the GHMC wake up from its deep slumber and becomes hyperactive in taking action by serving the order.
The counsel of the GHMC informed the court that DGP Thakur was issued notices twice in 2017, and had not responded.
Instead, he filed a civil case and tried to obtain an injunction, but failed to obtain an order in his favour.
The counsel submitted that the illegal encroachment on the GHMC Parkland by the DGP was removed.
The case has been adjourned to March 11 for further hearing.
