Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court, with Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy presiding, heard a group of seven petitions on Tuesday. These petitions were filed by employees and business owners who had built houses with stilt plus four or five floors on 500 square yards of land at Kavuri Hills, Block B, in Guttala Begumpet, Serilingampally mandal, RR district.
The court directed its Registry to connect these petitions with an ongoing case, Suo Moto WP(PIL) 10/2023, for further hearings. This is because the properties in question are located within the Full Tank Level (FTL) buffer zone of Durgam Cheruvu, a nearby lake.
The petitioners are challenging the notices issued by Revenue officials and are concerned about the possible demolition of their properties by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA).
Rahul Reddy, the Additional Advocate-General representing the State, informed the court that the properties indeed fall within the FTL buffer zone of Durgam Cheruvu. He mentioned that the Chief Justice’s bench is already handling a related case and has formed a committee of experts to restore and protect Durgam Cheruvu from further pollution and damage.
The court has already issued notices to relevant officials and requested a report. It has also directed the government to finalize a notification regarding Durgam Cheruvu and to remove all illegal constructions within its FTL buffer zone.
During the hearing, Justice Vijaysen Reddy noted that there are around one lakh unauthorized constructions within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits. He questioned whether the government had issued notices to all the owners of these illegal structures. The judge suggested that the demolition drive should begin with illegal constructions carried out by government officials themselves. The hearing in the case was then adjourned.
