HYDERABAD: “If the lake and Musi river are polluted, then let us allow the government to clean at least one of them. Even NGOs like you (SOUL) can help the government in this regard and have a beautiful lake in the city,” said a division bench of High Court on Tuesday while hearing a petition by NGO Save Our Lakes.
Following a Supreme Court order, the bench directed the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to carry out repairs of the sluices of Hussainsagar lake and not to drain the lake beyond the required limits.
On May 26, the Apex Court had refused to interfere with the order of the Hyderabad High Court permitting the respondents (Telangana government and GHMC) to undertake such cement and concrete work as may be necessary to repair the sluices for its proper maintenance. It had further permitted that for those repairs, if some water is to be released from the lake, that would also be permissible.
The Supreme Court ruled that it would be open to the National Green Tribunal to depute a team of experts to verify that the work undertaken by the state government is limited to the repairs of sluices and there is no unnecessary dewatering of the lake.
Earlier, a vacation bench of the Hyderabad High Court suspended operation of the order passed by the National Green Tribunal, Southern Zone, Chennai which restrained the GHMC from further dewatering of the lake.
SOUL, a voluntary organization of the city, had moved a stay petition before the vacation bench of the High Court in May and when the bench refused to vacate the stay, SOUL moved the Apex Court.
When the matter came up for hearing on Tuesday, the bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Dilip B Bhosale and Justice SV Bhatt made it clear to the counsel representing the respondent NGO Save Our Urban Lakes (SOUL), that it cannot go beyond the order passed by the Supreme Court in the case.
The counsel representing the NGO pointed out that under the guise of sluices repairs the government resorting to dewatering of the lake extensively and polluting Musi river. Though the Tribunal has constituted a two-member committee it is yet to visit the site till date. He urged the Court to direct the Tribunal to dispose of the pending case expeditously.
On the other hand, Telangana advocate general K Ramkrishna Reddy made it clear that the government has issued orders only for undertaking repairs to the sluices and as part of it water was being released into Musi river which is already polluted.
With regard to the NGO’s apprehensions of complete dewatering of the lake etc., the bench hoped that the tribunal would look into other aspects of the issue and dispose of the matter pending before it in two months period.
