HYDERABAD: Going forward, the Telangana High cCourt will monitor cleaning of Musi river. A bench of the Telangana High Court comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice A Rajashekar Reddy on Wednesday asked the State government to place before it plans submitted by the Telangana Pollution Control Board and the Musi River Front Development Committee by the next date of hearing so that it could monitor as to how the river is being cleaned.
The bench gave the direction on a PIL filed by Forum for Good Governance, represented by its Secretary M Padmanabha Reddy, seeking to declare as illegal the non-compliance and lack of interest of the government in cleaning the Musi. B Rachana Reddy, counsel for the petitioner informed the court that the Centre had suggested that a joint action plan be prepared to cleanse the river like Sabaramati Development Project in Gujarat.
Special Government Pleader Sanjeev Kumar informed the court that the government has already constituted a Musi River Front Development Corporation during 2017-18. The Musi River Front Development Committee submitted its report on March 22, 2021. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) also has given certain directions in February, 2021 to clean the river. The NGT order and Pollution Control Board reports also have been filed, he said. After hearing both sides, the bench adjourned the case to the first week of December.
State govt has no interest, points out FGG
The Public Interest Litigation was filed by the Secretary of Forum for Good Governance Padmanabha Reddy who appealed to the court to declare as illegal the non-compliance of the State government in cleaning the Musi river