HYDERABAD: A division bench of Telangana High Court comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice C.V. Bhaskar Reddy on Monday expressed displeasure at the government for itslackadaisical attitude in filing counters in the petitions filed regarding the scrapping GO 111, which protects Himayatsagar and Osmansagar.
The bench, which was set to impose a `25,000 fine on the principal secretary (MA&UD), did not do so following a plea by Rama Rao, standing counsel for HMDA and gave one final chance to the government to file counters within two weeks.
The bench was hearing writ petitions seeking a direction to the government to strictly implement GO 111, which restrains developmental or construction activity within a 10-km radius of Osmansagar and Himayatsagar.
The petitions were filed in 2007 by Dr S. Jeevananda Reddy, Forum for a Better Hyderabad (NGO), and activist Omin Maneckshaw Debara alleging that the government had failed to check illegal constructions and developmental activities downstream of the lakes.
The government failed to file counters to the notices issued in 2007, despite directions from the benches. After GO 69 was issued this year, overriding some positions taken in GO 111, the petitioners and some other implead petitioners sought the court’s intervention. The court had then mandated that the government file the counters.
Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, during the course of hearing, observed, “The state is taking things lightly. This court is deeply saddened by the conduct of the Advocate General, who has not understood the significance of the order passed by this court.”
Senior counsel K.S. Murthy, appearing for the petitioners, said that both the High Court and Supreme Court had reiterated in their orders that the restrictions in GO.111 should not be tampered with so that Osmansagar and the Himayatsagar were not polluted as they served the drinking water needs of the twin cities.
To the contrary, the state had come up with GO 69 which was in sheer violation of the apex court orders, counsel argued. The bench gave two weeks to the government to file counters and adjourned the case to September 14.
