HC Orders Special Officer to Probe Sunnam Cheruvu Land Dispute
The court directed the CS to appoint a special officer to oversee the restoration works being carried out at the lake and for giving an independent report
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Thursday ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the disputes surrounding Sunnam Cheruvu Lake at Allapur in Serilingampally mandal and directed that the probe be conducted independently, without any external influence.
Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti instructed a special officer, holding the rank of revenue divisional officer (RDO) and appointed by the Chief Secretary on the instructions of the court, to examine issues in detail.
The court told the officer to arrive at an independent assessment, uninfluenced by senior officials or government agencies, including HYDRAA, and to submit a factual report to the court. The judge further clarified that the officer must interact with the petitioners before commencing the survey.
The judge issued this order while dealing with a petition filed by SIET Maruthi Hills Colony Welfare Association and a few individual property owners challenging the HYDRAA’s decision to fix the lake’s boundaries and full-tank levels on its own without giving notice to the owners of the surrounding lands.
On December 3, the court directed the Chief Secretary to appoint a special officer to oversee the restoration works being carried out at the lake and for giving an independent report. To facilitate the inquiry, the court directed officials from various government departments to assist the special officer in the preparation of the report.
However, on Thursday, the petitioners submitted that their rights were violated and alleged that the HYDRAA was acting unilaterally. They also alleged that under the guise of lake rejuvenation, HYDRAA was digging lands to favour the villas located on one side of the lake and works were going on selectively to favour some people.
Opposing the claims, additional advocate-general Mohd. Imran Khan submitted that the allegations were baseless and pointed out disputes regarding the land boundaries and schedules claimed by the petitioners. He assured the court that any structures, including villas, found to be encroaching upon the FTL or buffer zones would be removed.
Making it clear that accountability would be enforced, Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti observed that the action would be initiated against HYDRAA if the inquiry report establishes the wrongdoing. The matter was adjourned to December 23 for a further hearing.