Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Wednesday, July 24, acknowledged in the High Court that its tourism and hospitality management institute in Gachibowli had encroached upon the Full Tank Level (FTL) of a nearby lake and had unlawfully constructed a building, which they pledged would be demolished soon.
Additionally, the commissioner of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) assured the court that a final notification regarding the FTL limits of 2,525 lakes under its jurisdiction would be issued within three months.
In July 2023, the High Court bench ordered a comprehensive survey of lakes under the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and sought a status report while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). However, even after one year, this had not been done.
On Monday, the bench directed HMDA Metropolitan Commissioner Sarfaraz Ahmad to appear before it on Wednesday through video conference and explain the reasons for HMDA’s failure to comply with the order.
On Wednesday, Commissioner Sarfaraz Ahmad appeared before the court virtually and requested three months to complete the survey of lakes as directed by the High Court in the PIL case.
The court had taken a serious view of HMDA’s delay in carrying out the comprehensive lake survey and sought an explanation from the Metropolitan Commissioner for the non-compliance of its order even after one year.
The HMDA told the HC that there are 3,532 lakes within its territorial limits and that it has issued preliminary notifications for 2,525 lakes and final notifications for only 230 lakes so far.
The High Court, while hearing a PIL filed by the Human Rights and Consumer Protection Cell Trust, directed the HMDA to issue final notifications for the remaining 2,525 lakes and furnish a compliance report on the status of other lakes by November 4.
The court also took note of the Advocate General’s assurance that the state will demolish the illegal structure raised by the National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management (NITHM) within the Full Tank Level (FTL) of Ramamma Kunta lake.
The High Court has been closely monitoring the HMDA’s actions to protect lakes and prevent further encroachments. The court has repeatedly pulled up the HMDA for its inaction and has now set a deadline for issuing final notifications for the remaining lakes.
