VIJAYAWADA: The High Court on Wednesday directed the State government to file a counter affidavit in a petition seeking to restrain it from leasing out the buildings constructed on Rushikonda Hill in Visakhapatnam.
The bench comprising Chief Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Challa Gunaranjan adjourned the matter to next month.
The direction came while hearing an interlocutory application filed by former Jana Sena corporator Peethala Murthy Yadav in the pending public interest litigation concerning the Rushikonda project.
The petitioner sought an order restraining the government from leasing the buildings to any private entity.
Appearing for the State, Government Special Pleader Singamaneni Pranathi informed the court that the buildings had not been leased to anyone so far. She submitted that the government had recently issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) inviting proposals from agencies interested in developing the facilities for tourism.
A Cabinet sub-committee would take an appropriate decision after evaluating the proposals, she said.
Senior advocate KS Murthy, representing the petitioner, argued that the Centre had not yet complied with the High Court’s earlier direction to assess the environmental damage caused by the construction on Rushikonda and submit a report.
Additional Solicitor General Challa Dhananjaya, appearing for the Centre, informed the Bench that submission of the report had been delayed because one of the members of the committee appointed by the Union Ministry of Environment had passed away.
The PILs challenging the alleged unauthorized construction on Rushikonda were filed in 2021 by Visakhapatnam East MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna and former corporator Peethala Murthy Yadav.
The latest application seeks to prevent the government from leasing the buildings until the pending issues are resolved.