HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has summoned the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) Commissioner to appear virtually on July 24 to furnish an explanation for the non-compliance with a court order regarding the notification of buffer zones for waterbodies within HMDA limits.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Anil Kumar said, “After one year, till today, the order passed on July 27, 2023, has not been complied with.”
Both parties involved in the case were unable to confirm the status of compliance, prompting the court to seek the commissioner’s presence to explain the situation.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by the Human Rights and Consumer Protection Cell Trust, which challenged illegal and unauthorised constructions by the National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management (NITHM) in the FTL buffer zone of the Rammamma Kunta lake. The petitioner argued that construction activities in this zone are prohibited, and submitted a cadastral map of the lake showing that part of the NITHM building encroaches into the buffer zone. Concerns were also raised about potential financial losses to the public if further construction is allowed.