Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court questioned why Kamareddy BJP MLA Venkataramana Reddy chose to approach the court over alleged encroachments of lakes in Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts instead of raising the issue in the Assembly.
Court issues notices to govt
The court issued notices to the state government, Hyderabad Lake Protection Authority (HYDRAA), HMDA, and GHMC, seeking explanations on the lake encroachments and adjourned the hearing to October 30.
Justice B Vijayasen Reddy was hearing the petition filed by the MLA, who alleged that real estate firms were encroaching on lakes and other water bodies to build multi-storied buildings.
The BJP MLA claimed that despite filing complaints with the authorities, no action had been taken. The judge asked the legislator why he had not initiated discussions on the encroachment of lakes, ponds, and drains in the Assembly and whether such violations existed in his own constituency.
MLA raised issue in Assembly: Counsel
The MLA’s counsel replied that his client had indeed raised the matter in the Assembly. The concerned minister, he said, had stated that the government had set up a dedicated HYDRAA mechanism to remove encroachments and had advised lodging complaints there.
Following this, the MLA registered complaints with HYDRAA, HMDA, and GHMC, but alleged that officials still failed to act.
The government’s counsel argued that coordinated action by multiple departments was necessary and sought more time to present comprehensive details.
The judge accepted the request and scheduled the next hearing for October 30.
