Member of Parliament A. Revanth Reddy has lambasted the State government for planning to construct the new secretariat complex within the buffer zone of the Hussainsagar lake.
Speaking to the media after submitting a representation to the committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal here on Thursday, Mr. Reddy cited High Court judgement of 2001, against new constructions in FTL and buffer zones of the lake.
He alleged that the government has erased city maps before 2006 in order to have its way.
However, the British Library in Secunderabad has the old map, he said, and demanded that the FTL and buffer zones should be demarcated afresh based on the map.
He claimed that the lake extended from Raj Bhavan up to Mint Compound and Amrita Castle Hotel as per the maps from 1920.
Castigating Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Mr. Reddy said the former resorted to misuse of power, and demolished the Secretariat in collusion with Chief Secretary, and DGP, in order to satisfy his superstition.
He also questioned escalation of Secretariat construction cost from ₹400 crore to ₹700 crore.
Meanwhile, the committee comprising senior scientist from the Central Pollution Control Board, senior officials from from Regional office of Ministry of Environment and Forests, Telangana State Wet Land Authority, State Pollution Control Board and a Professor dealing with environmental engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, inspected the Secretariat’s location and held a meeting later at Aranya Bhavan, the Forest Department’s headquarters.
Sources informed that they also heard the officials from the Roads & Buildings and Irrigation departments during the meeting.
The committee’s brief is to inspect the area in question and submit a factual report about precautions being taken during demolition work and disposal of the debris collected.quest