Advocate Commissioners Accuse Officials of Misguiding Court on Status of 13 Lakes in Hyderabad

The advocate commissioners, Gade Praveen Kumar, deputy solicitor general of India, and T. Srikanth Reddy, former government pleader for revenue, submitted a comprehensive report after inspecting Durgam Cheruvu, Sunnam Cheruvu at Allapur, Medikunta (Nanakramguda), Gosal Kunta (Gowlidoddi), Pedda Cheruvu (Nallagandla), Gangaram Pedda Cheruvu, Maddelakunta (Bairamalguda), Nalla Cheruvu (Uppal), Pedda Cheruvu (Peerzadiguda), Ambeer Cheruvu (Kukatpally), Chinnadamara Cheruvu (Dundigal), Chinna Narayanayuni Cheruvu (Alwal) and Boin Cheruvu at Hasmathpet.

Pointing out faults in protecting the lakes and how government officials had misguided the courts regarding steps on safeguarding the lakes, the report said officials had wrongly informed that some parts of the common road around Durgam Cheruvu lake was its ring bund. It pointed out that there are 108 structures within the full tank level and buffer zone of Sunnam Cheruvu, which neither had fencing nor CCTV cameras to monitor the lake.

On noticing conflicting statements by the authorities on safeguarding lakes, the High Court had on February 6 appointed Praveen Kumar and Srikanth Reddy as advocate commissioners, asking them to inspect the lakes located in Hyderabad and Rangareddy district and to furnish a report in a sealed cover.

They were appointed in a PIL, which had been instituted on the basis of a letter addressed to the High Court in 2007 by an NGO promoter Anil C. Dayakar Ed Gamana, who informed the court that the lakes were under serious threat of extinction due to rampant encroachments and constructions and sought the High Court’s intervention to protect them.