HYDERABAD: Additional Advocate General (AAG) J Ramachandra Rao, appearing on behalf of the State government, on Friday assured the Telangana High Court that it will adhere to GO 111 until the committee of experts, specially constituted as per GO 69, submits its report.
The AAG was presenting his arguments during the hearing of a clutch of petitions and PILs contesting the State government’s decision to revoke GO 111. Some of the petitions, filed following violations of GO 111, have been pending since 2007.
On Friday, the bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice NV Shravan Kumar duly noted the oral undertaking of the AAG and directed the government to refrain from taking any further actions that would contravene GO 111.
During the course of arguments, the AAG recalled that GO 111 was issued in 1996 with the aim of prohibiting polluting industries, major hotels, residential colonies, and other establishments within a 10-km radius of the Full Tank Level (FTL) of Osmansagar and Himayatsagar reservoirs.
This directive covered 84 villages, encompassing approximately 1.32 lakh acres. The primary objective was to safeguard the catchment area of these two reservoirs, which were the primary source of drinking water for Hyderabad city at the time, the AAG said.
He pointed out that with the availability of alternative sources for Hyderabad city’s drinking water, the reliance on these reservoirs fell below 1.25%.
“Consequently, they no longer serve as the main supply of drinking water for Hyderabad city,” the AAG said. Senior counsel L Ravichander raised an objection, urging the court to officially record the oral undertaking provided by the AAG, who affirmed that the government would await the recommendations of the Committee.
The bench also heard senior counsel KS Murthy and directed the government to strictly adhere to the prohibition on constructions within the 10-km radius of the two reservoirs, both in letter and in spirit.The case was adjourned for a period of eight weeks, with the expectation that the expert committee report would be submitted during this time.
‘Reliance on twin reservoirs fell below 1.25%’
AAG J Ramachandra Rao pointed out that with the availability of alternative sources for Hyderabad city’s drinking water, the reliance on Osmansagar and Himayatsagar reservoirs fell below 1.25%