HYDERABAD: Taking a serious view of the encroachment of footpaths in Siddiambar Bazar, Mahabubgunj and other areas of the city, a division bench of the High Court has directed the secretary of Hyderabad District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to appoint an officer to examine the situation prevailing at the ground level. The bench directed that the said officer should examine the areas on a daily basis for one month and then submit a report to the court.
The bench, comprising chief justice TBN Radhakrishnan and justice Ramesh Ranganathan, passed this order on a PIL filed by Laxminivas Agarwal alleging that shopkeepers in the two areas had constructed staircases and ramps on the pavements, forcing people to walk on the main road endangering their lives. Pointing out the inaction of the GHMC authorities on the issue, he sought court directions for removal of such encroachments.
During the course of hearing, the bench expressed its displeasure at the shopkeepers for violating their undertaking to the court that they would not encroach the footpaths.
The petitioner told the court that the authorities had taken perfunctory measures by removing some encroachments in the said two areas. The bench then directed the DLSA to appoint an officer to have field-level examination and to submit a report to the court on the issue, and posted the matter to August 14 for further hearing.