Dumping of human excreta in residential area; Telangana HC seeks status report

Hyderabad: Responding to an SOS from residents of Jiyaguda here who are facing air and water pollution and suffocation due to the presence of a dumping yard, the Telangana High Court on Friday directed the state government and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to submit a status report within four weeks.

The court appointed Avinash Desai as amicus curiae to assist it in this matter. He would inspect the place and explain the situation to the court.

The garbage dumped there includes human excreta cleared from private septic tanks, animal carcasses and litter from various divisions in the city. The residents have made numerous representations to the GHMC but there was no response.

A law student from Osmania University Pavan Kasturi wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of the High Court on the matter. The court took cognisance of this and converted it into a public interest litigation (PIL). Earlier, the court had issued notices to the GHMC and the Pollution Congrol Board (PCB) to explain the matter.

On Friday, the division bench comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao issued notices to the chief secretary, the principal secretaries of the departments of municipal administration, forest and environment as also revenue, apart from the GHMC commissioner, the PCB and the district collector. It directed them to file the status report in a month’s time.