Why should all landowners suffer GO111 curbs, asks Telangana high court

HYDERABAD: The Telangana high court on Tuesday directed the government to inform it by August 9 as to why it is dodging a decision on deleting those areas that are outside the catchment zone of twin reservoirs, Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar, from the purview of GO111.
This GO prohibits any industrial or huge housing activities in the catchment areas spread over 84 villages and in a radius of 10 km of the twin reservoirs. Removal from the purview of this GO would mean appreciation of the real estate value in the area.

A bench of Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy took up an implead petition filed by Agni Agro Tech Limited which is seeking removal of its 17-acre land in Vattinagulapalli, one of the 84 villages, as its land falls outside the purview of the catchment area.
The bench questioned the state government as to why landowners who fall outside the catchment area of the lakes should suffer restrictions imposed by GO 111. “It is strange that the government does not want to act on a report furnished by a committee that studied the area at the instance of the state,” the bench said. It sought to know the stand of the government on the issue by the next date of hearing and posted the case to August 9.
Agni Agro Tech got itself impleaded in the petition and urged the court to keep GO 111 intact. Its counsel KS Murthy urged the court not to dilute the purpose of the GO that was aimed at protecting the environment and lakes. “If the state wants to dilute it, let it do so in tune with the laid down procedures and we do not want this court to be a party to such a decision,” he said.
Appearing for the company, senior advocate K Vivek Reddy argued that land belonging to some landowners, like that of the company he is representing, was outside the catchment area of the lakes and the report of Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI) had confirmed the same.
It was the state government that instituted the EPTRI study and all the recommendations made by the institute were accepted by the state. “In fact, in one of the cases pending before the high court, the state government had even filed an application stating that areas falling outside the purview of catchment areas need to be deleted from the purview of GO 111,” he said.
“We are not opposing GO 111 that protects the catchment areas. What we are seeking is the deletion from the purview of GO 111 those areas that were lying outside the catchment zone,” he said.