Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court has directed the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and the Telangana Pollution Control Board to identify the sewage discharge channels which were polluting lakes in the city and take immediate steps to destroy the channels.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice S.V. Bhatt was dealing with the pleas by IPS officer Anjana Sinha, social activists Lubna Saraswath and Sudhakar who sought protection of Malkam Cheruvu in Serilingampally.
The bench told the authorities to start the restoration of lakes by demolishing the discharge channels into Lotus Pond, Pedda Cheruvu of Khajaguda and Nacharam, Miralam tank and Rangadhamuni Tank at Kukatpally.
The bench felt that destroying the sewerage discharge channels was the only way to prevent the lakes from being turned into sewage pools. The judges directed the authorities to caution the public that the severe action would be initiated against those who allowed discharge of sewage into lakes.
Stating that it would also issue orders in this regard, the bench made it clear that at any cost the sewage and other pollutants should not be allowed to enter the lakes.
The bench instructed the authorities to utilise the services of the Hyderabad Metro Water Works and Sewage Board extensively in identifying the sewage channels that were polluting the lakes to destroy them.
Replying to a query from the bench, counsel for the GHMC said that the corporation required four weeks to identify the sewage channels and destroy them as the authorities were busy with election-related duties.
The bench directed the authorities of the HMDA, GHMC and the HMWS&SB to submit the reports identifying the sewage channels and their origination and the time required to destroy them.
Mr Y. Rama Rao, counsel for the HMDA, told the court that whenever they initiated steps on errant persons, they were approaching court and obtaining stay orders. While asking counsel to bring such cases to their notice, the bench posted the matter to October 22.
