Remove encroachments on Musi riverbed: Telangana High Court tells govt agencies

Hyderabad: In a shot in the arm to the ruling Congress in Telangana in its proposed Musi Riverfront Development Project, the High Court has directed government agencies to take steps for removal of unauthorised structures in the Full Tank Level or River Bed Zone of the Musi.

The court also said the task of removing encroachments should be completed in a time-bound manner.

In a recent order, the court issued several directions while disposing of a batch of writ petitions challenging the action of the government wings of making efforts to demolish residential houses.

The court directed the government authorities, including the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection Agency (HYDRAA), to strictly implement the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court as referred to in various judgments by issuing notices to the encroachers for removal of unauthorised constructions in the River Bed Zone, Full Tank Level (FTL), and Buffer Zone of the Musi river.

The court instructed the agencies to take immediate steps for eviction of illegal and unauthorised occupations in the FTL, River Bed Zone, and Buffer Zone, and to ensure that no sewage contaminates the water flowing in the Musi river.

The court directed the government to conduct a detailed socio-economic survey of the persons whose properties are affected by the rejuvenation of the Musi river and to accommodate them in suitable places as per relevant policies.

The court further directed the government to intimate the owners if their lands are 'patta lands or Shikam patta lands' and to pay appropriate compensation for their acquisition.

The government agencies should initiate criminal action against encroachers and land grabbers involved in the destruction of rivers and other waterbodies, as per the provisions of the Water, Land and Trees Act, 2002 (WALTA Act) and others, the court said.

The petitioners or other individuals, including encroachers, were directed to refrain from obstructing surveys undertaken by the state for the fixation of boundaries of the FTL, Buffer Zone, and River Bed Zone of the Musi river.

The court said the government has the power, as per the provisions of the Telangana Irrigation Act and others, to constitute HYDRAA.

The petitioners had contended that the government agencies do not have the power to remove the existing structures as they were built after obtaining permission from Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). They alleged that the government agencies, without conducting any enquiry and without issuing notices are "demolishing" their houses on the grounds that the houses fall under FTL as well as Buffer Zone of Musi river.

The government informed the court that the Musi Riverfront Development Project is designed to revive the river passing through Hyderabad, transforming the area by restoring clean, flowing water, enhancing transport networks, creating international-standard urban landscapes, and revitalising heritage sites.

The opposition BRS and the BJP attacked the Congress government in Telangana for allegedly demolishing houses of the poor along the Musi.