Hyderabad: Telangana High Court has directed the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) to restore the rock garden in Jubilee Hills within eight weeks.
The court has also instructed the agency to submit a compliance report to the court registry within three months.
Justice NV Shravan Kumar issued the directive while hearing a writ petition filed by advocate B Sudhakar Reddy.
In the petition, it was alleged that authorities had failed to respond effectively to representations seeking protection of more than 30.2 hectares of government land located in the rock garden area.
Allegations of encroachment, illegal constructions
The petition sought directions to HYDRAA and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to remove all illegal constructions on the land.
During the proceedings, the counsel of the petitioner informed the court that private individuals had allegedly encroached upon the land and cut down several trees.
Referring to observations made by the Supreme Court on environmental conservation, the counsel also requested that HYDRAA be directed to impose a penalty of Rs 1 lakh for every tree felled by anti-social elements.
Responsibility of HYDRAA to preserve Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills rock garden
After hearing the arguments from both sides, the High Court observed that HYDRAA is responsible for safeguarding government land and preserving the natural landscape of the Jubilee Hills rock garden.
The court directed the agency to take necessary action including clearing all encroachments and ensuring complete restoration of the garden within eight-week period.
