Hyderabad: The Telangana high court on Monday directed the state government to stop the cutting of trees on 100 acres of land. The bench was hearing public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Lingoji Muralidhar Rao who is the president of Damagundam Forest Protection JAC, a registered society.
The land is set to construct National Prison Academy (NPA) and Prison Reforms Center at Kotharepally village, Damagundam forest area in Vikarabad district.
The PIL challenged the action of cutting down trees for the construction of the NPA. It is said that the forest land consists of rare species of trees and plants with medicinal value.
Submitting documents prepared by the Survey of India the petitioner’s counsel Rachana V told the court that the papers showed the land covered with a larger forest area in the Damagundem forests compared to that of 2001-02.
The counsel further said that till 2021 the government had given it word to the high court that the land will not be handed over to any department for any works. “Now suddenly it is being handed over to construct National Prison Academy. This means trees will be cut down,” the counsel argued.
The HC bench compromising of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili adjourned the PIL till after the summer vacation.
It further said that it was unfortunate that the state did not file its reply until now despite its notice on January 25, 2022.
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