Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has initiated legal proceedings after 23 children from Adilabad wrote a letter directed to Chief Justice Alok Aradhe, expressing concern over the encroachment of their playground for the construction of a temple.
According to the letter, the land in contention is at an old Housing Board Colony, which was established in the late 1970s in Adilabad for the upliftment and welfare of the downtrodden communities and underprivileged people.
At the time of establishment, a land of about 1.5 acres was allotted for a children’s park-cum-play area.
However, between 2000 and 2004, roughly one-third of this space was illegally seized by individuals and converted into a shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, it alleged.
The children also mentioned that in recent months, these individuals involved in land grabbing have been seizing the remaining land to build another temple.
Despite the parents of the children and other community elders submitting a formal request to the authorities, no measures have been taken by the relevant officials to halt the unlawful construction of the parkland, the letter added.
It further said that the Adilabad municipal commissioner was in support of the alleged encroachment.
“Hence the Honourable Court may be pleased to issue necessary directions to the respondents to protect the park and stop illegal constructions by ordering an inquiry against the officials concerned who are aiding and advising the land grabbers to encroach the public parks and other government lands and to protect the Children’s Park land situated in the old Housing Board Colony Adilabad from encroachments in the interests of justice and to pass appropriate orders,” the letter read, according to a report by Live Law.
The High Court bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti ordered that the involved parties submit a detailed update regarding their progress by the following court session.
The bench also directed that the Adilabad municipal commissioner, who is alleged to be aiding the encroachment be included in the proceedings and served with legal notices.
