Illegal construction in Banjara Hills violates SC’s status quo
Hyderabad: Illegal constructions are going unabated in the upmarket Banjara Hills with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) town planning wing continuing its patronage to the builders who included top Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders.
The constructions are allegedly being carried out by A. Jeevan Reddy, former BRS MLA from Armoor, and V. Narasimha Reddy, who contested on party ticket from Nalgonda Lok Sabha seat. The GHMC, it was alleged, has turned a blind eye to the two powerful leaders violating the status quo orders issued by the Supreme Court.
Inquiries revealed that building permissions were illegally obtained for a fictitious Sy No. 129/68 (paiki) whereas the constructions are taken up encroaching land in Sy No. 129/52 in Vemireddy Enclave, Road No. 12, Banjara Hills. “The 129/69 (paiki) does not exist at all. All the revenue records like wasool baqui, sethuwar and those available in director survey, settlement and land records, district collector and then special officer, urban land ceiling, established beyond doubt that Sy No. 129/68 (paiki) was non-existent,” said M. Sukumar Reddy who has been relentlessly fighting against the non-existent survey number.
Sukumar Reddy obtained status quo orders from the apex court twice filing Special Leave Petition (SLP) 21988/2019 and SLP 5196/2020. Ironically, the GHMC on May 22, 2021, issued a show cause notice under Section 450 of GHMC Act, 1955, asking the violators why the building permission should not be withdrawn for violating the status quo orders.
In the notice, the GHMC clearly mentioned that in August 2020 the builders were issued notice asking them to comply with the status quo orders and that no unauthorised construction activity should take place on Sy No. 129/52. But during the inspections, it was found that constructions were continued in violation of the apex court orders.
Stating that the reply submitted by the builders was found to be incorrect, the then GHMC commissioner pointed out that “the same has been examined in detail and the Town Planning officials inspected the site, it is noticed that you are violating the status quo orders of Hon’ble Supreme Court of India.”
Sukumar Reddy appealed to the Congress government to rein in the two BRS leaders Narasimha Reddy and Jeevan Reddy who he alleged to have gone scot free in previous BRS regime.
