Hyderabad: Observing that it may not be appropriate to intervene at the preliminary stage of a project that is being pursued through a vision document and a structured, planned approach, the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) made key remarks while hearing a petition against the Telangana government’s proposed Future City project.
The tribunal noted that the proposed Future City Development Authority is a development-oriented mechanism, similar to the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), which was established to oversee urban expansion and planned growth.
Petition challenges project
The observations came during the hearing of a petition filed by environmentalist Donthi Narasimha Reddy challenging the project. Representing the Telangana government, Additional Advocate General T Rajanikanth Reddy argued that the petition had been filed prematurely.
He told the tribunal that the project was yet to take full shape and contended that the petitioner was seeking to compel the government to obtain environmental clearances even before the development initiative had been fully conceptualised and implemented.
After hearing submissions from both sides, the NGT adjourned the matter to July 14 for further hearing.
The Telangana government has been promoting the Future City project as a major urban development initiative aimed at facilitating planned growth and infrastructure expansion.
