The Telangana High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the state government in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking protection of the Yerra Kunta reservoir in Balanagar village of Mahabubnagar district. The reservoir is allegedly on the verge of extinction due to increased real estate activity.
A division bench comprising Justices P Sam Koshy and Narsing Rao Nandikonda passed the directions in the PIL filed by KV Madhu, a farmer from Balanagar. The court adjourned the matter until after the post-summer vacation for further hearing.
The petitioner's counsel, D Damodar Reddy, contended that town planning officials, in collusion with a Hyderabad real estate company, Spectra Ventures, have allotted plot numbers in the area where the Yerra Kunta reservoir exists in a 4.33-acre area. He further alleged that registration officials are also registering these lands in favor of intending purchasers. The counsel alleged that the officials have ignored their legitimate duty of protecting the reservoir, despite orders of the Supreme Court.
He further argued that the irrigation and revenue departments have even proposed to delete the existing Yerrakunta reservoir from the village map in an attempt to help Spectra Ventures in converting the reservoir into open plots and sell them.
