Whole of Hyderabad will be flooded by 2050 if illegal layouts regularised: HC
The Telangana High Court has criticised the state government’s move to regularise all illegal and unapproved layouts in rural and urban areas under the Land Regularisation Scheme (LRS), and said if it was allowed, then whole of Hyderabad would be flooded by 2050.
The Telangana High Court has criticised the state government’s move to regularise illegal and unapproved layouts in rural and urban areas under the Land Regularisation Scheme (LRS), and said if it is allowed, then the whole of Hyderabad will be flooded by 2050.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy wondered which law enables the state to issue the GO for the regularisation of unauthorised and unapproved layouts, Deccan Chronicle reported.
“It looks like encouraging lawlessness among the layout developers and violators,” the Chief Justice said on Thursday (November 5).
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“Surveys claimed that nearly 45% of Hyderabad city was submerged due to the recent torrential rains and 80% of water bodies disappeared in the city and full-tank levels of all lakes were mushroomed with constructions — either approved or unapproved. If you allow them under the regularisation scheme, then by 2050, the whole Hyderabad will be flooded,” he added, referring to recent floods in Hyderabad.
The court was hearing five public interest litigations (PILs) challenging the government order (GO) 131 issued in August allowing regularisation of unapproved layouts without open spaces for parks, schools and amenities, on paying extra. The government received more than 24 lakh applications for LRS, which ended on October 31.
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The court refused to stay the LRS and the matter was posted for hearing on November 12.
The court recalled that the LRS was introduced by the government every five years (2008, 2015, 2020), and asked the advocate general of Telangana if the scheme would stop the development of unauthorised layouts.
The court asked if the violators will be bound to law if the government itself approves their actions under the LRS and BRS (Building Regularisation Schemes), the report said.