Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has instructed the lake protection wing of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) to issue a final notification defining the Full Tank Level (FTL) for Ramanthapur ‘Pedda Cheruvu’.
This directive came from a bench led by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao while addressing a writ petition that dates back to 2005, filed by a retired Osmania University professor.
The petitioner sought judicial intervention to combat illegal encroachments in the buffer zones of 532 lakes and 200 gardens, including the one in Ramanthapur.
The court mandated that authorities must consider any objections from the public regarding both the buffer zone and the FTL of the water body before issuing the final notification.
The court sought clarification on whether the area of the lake is 17.26 acres or approximately 30 acres and has mandated the publication of the Final Notification regarding the Full Tank Level (FTL) of the lake.
During the proceedings, a Division Bench led by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao stressed the importance of issuing this final FTL notification within three weeks, while also considering objections from local residents concerning a preliminary notification released in October 2023.
Furthermore, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has been instructed to complete fencing around the lake within six months.
This Public Interest Litigation (PIL) addresses concerns about the health of Pedda Cheruvu lake and includes 25 implead petitions that challenge the preliminary notification from the lake protection committee.
Residents have contended that the lake is shrinking and being used as a dumping site, arguing that the committee’s assessment misrepresents its current condition.
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