Hyderabad: Justice T. Vinod Kumar of the Telangana High Court while hearing a case involving a property dispute linked to the Osmansagar reservoir has orders Telangana government to submit Osmansagar reservoir records.
The case centers around petitions filed by Gavva Vidhyadhar Reddy and Sreeramaneni Anupama, who are challenging notices issued by municipal authorities and the subsequent partial demolition of their properties in Khanapur, Rajendranagar mandal, Rangareddy district.
The controversy began when Narsingi municipal officials issued notices to the petitioners on August 9, 2024, demanding that they provide documents and explanations as to why their buildings should not be demolished.
The officials claimed that the properties were located within the Full Tank Level (FTL) of the Osmansagar lake. In compliance, the petitioners submitted the required documents on August 13, 2024. However, without further communication, the authorities went ahead and partially demolished the properties on August 18, 2024.
The petitioners have argued that the demolition was both illegal and arbitrary, pointing to earlier court orders in their favour. They highlighted a similar issue from May 2015 when notices were also issued, alleging that their properties were within the FTL or buffer zone of Osmansagar lake. In that instance, the petitioners had filed writ petitions, and on May 20, 2015, the high court allowed them to submit objections. Following this, a joint inspection by the Irrigation and Command Area Development authorities, along with revenue officials, determined that the petitioners’ properties were not within the FTL contour of Osmansagar, which is set at 1,790 feet. This finding was documented in a report dated September 7, 2015, which contradicted the recent claims made by the municipal officials.
After reviewing the petitioners’ arguments and the previous joint inspection report, which appears to support their position, Justice T. Vinod Kumar issued a directive. He has ordered the state government to submit all relevant records related to the Osmansagar reservoir within three weeks. The case has been scheduled for its next hearing on September 23, 2024.
