The Telangana High Court has turned a recent news report about blasting in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, into a Suo Moto Public Interest Litigation (PIL). The case will be heard on September 4 by a division bench consisting of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao.
The issue was brought to the court’s attention through a letter written by Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka to the Chief Justice. The letter included a copy of a ‘Times of India’ article that detailed the problem. The main concern mentioned in the letter was the ongoing blasting of a hillock near Nyay Vihar, a residential area where many Telangana High Court judges live.
The letter highlighted that the Jubilee Hills neighborhood has several residential bungalows belonging to High Court judges. The continuous blasting, which is very intense, has become a regular occurrence, causing significant distress to the residents.
On the other side of the hillock, there are other important areas like Ramanaidu Studio, Bharani Layout, and Prashashan Nagar, where many IAS and IPS officers live. Despite the proximity of these high-profile residents, no formal complaints have been made to the authorities about the blasting.
The blasting is happening both day and night, but contractors often choose to work during the night. This has caused sleepless nights for the residents of Jubilee Hills, making their lives difficult. Over the past two years, more than half of the hillock has been cleared, making way for new construction. The letter warned that continued blasting could lead to serious ecological damage.
Several government officials and departments have been named as respondents in the case. These include the Principal Secretaries of Mines & Geology, Environment, Forests, Science and Technology, and Municipal Administration, as well as the Member-Secretary of the Pollution Control Board, the Director of Mines and Geology, the Hyderabad Collector, and the GHMC Commissioner.
