HC issues notices to government on Old City Metro alignment
A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara was hearing the PIL filed by Rahim Khan, president of Act Public Welfare Foundation, an NGO
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Thursday issued notices to the state government, Hyderabad Airport Metro Ltd and the Wakf Board, directing them to respond within three weeks to a PIL challenging the alignment of Hyderabad Metro Rail Phase-II, Corridor VI, through the Charminar and Falaknuma heritage precincts.
A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara was hearing the PIL filed by Rahim Khan, president of Act Public Welfare Foundation, an NGO. Khan argued that the proposed alignment would endanger several heritage structures and urged the court to halt the project until a comprehensive Heritage Impact Assessment is conducted and statutory approvals are secured under the Telangana Heritage Act and the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958.
The petitioner claimed that heritage sites such as Purani Haveli, Azakhana-e-Zehra, Jama Masjid, Darulshifa and Moghalpura Tomb would be adversely affected. He sought directives to ensure strict compliance with heritage laws and requested a stay on approvals for infrastructure projects within a 200-metre radius of these sites. He also urged the court to impose a moratorium on all development activities in these protected zones.
The court declined to issue immediate interim orders, stating that the respondents must be heard first. It directed Advocate General A. Sudharshan Reddy to submit the state government’s response within three weeks. The petitioner was instructed to file a rejoinder within two weeks of receiving the government’s affidavit. The case was adjourned to April 3.
