Hyderabad High Court asks Telangana to give names on harvesting pits committee
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Thursday directed the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation authorities to furnish the names of persons to be accommodated in the proposed committee to oversee the construction of water harvesting pits in the corporation limits.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice P. Naveen Rao was dealing with a PIL by S. Vaidehi Reddy, a resident of city, seeking to direct the Telangana state government, GHMC and other respondent authorities to ensure strict enforcement of GO Ms No. 350 dated June 9, 2009 adopted in the AP Building Rules 2012 pertaining to rainwater harvesting structures for all buildings, wherever applicable in the city of Hyderabad.
Earlier, the bench advised the government to set up committee to oversee the construction of water harvesting pits in every house, apartments and commercial complexes. The panel was to conduct periodical reviews. If the owners failed to construct the pits within the time granted to them, water supply would be disconnected.
When reminded of these suggestions, GHMC counsel Kesava Rao submitted to the court that the corporation has decided to constitute such a committee with experts from Administrative Staff College of India on board.
D. Prakash Reddy, senior counsel appearing for the petitioner, intervened to say that there is a professor in JNTU-Hyderabad with research expertise in rainwater harvesting management and he may also be taken on board the committee.
While asking the authorities to accommodate the professor in the committee, the bench adjourned the case to Monday.
HC seeks report on drought-hit mandals
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice P. Naveen Rao of the Hyderabad High Court on Thursday asked the TS government to place the report based on which recommendations it had declared the drought-hit mandals in Karimnagar district.
The bench was dealing with a plea by Congress MLA T. Jeevan Reddy, representing Jagtial Assembly constituency in Karimnagar district, challenging the failure of the authorities to include 21 mandals of the district in the drought-affected list, in spite of the district collector’s recommendation.
The petitioner brought to the notice of the court that the government has declared only 19 of the 40 mandals recommended by the district collector as drought-affected. The collector had kept in view the parameters like less rainfall and reduction in extent of crop and production, the plea said.
Mr Jeevan Reddy said that except for Katalapur mandal, the entire Jagtial sub-division, which is severely affected, has been left out. He said that gross injustice was done to Karimnagar as compared to districts like Nizamabad and Medak where the entire district was declared drought-hit.
The MLA urged the court direct the authorities to reconsider the 21 remaining mandals for inclusion on the list of drought-affected mandals. He said that this would help the farmers avail benefits like compensation for crop damage by way of input subsidy, rescheduling of crop loans etc.
When the bench sought to know the basis for declaration of drought-hit mandals, counsel for the TS government submitted that a committee was constituted to identify and recommended the drought-hit mandals in the state. While adjourning the case, the bench directed counsel to place the report before the court within two weeks.
