Telengana high court raps HYDRAA, directs status quo

HYDERABAD: The high court on Saturday directed that status quo be maintained with respect to existing structures in Survey No. 119 at Ilapur Thanda in Ameenpur, while making it clear that authorities must follow due process of law in any action against the residents. Justice B Vijaysen Reddy passed the directions while hearing a house petition challenging the action of HYDRAA in allegedly demolishing over 3,000 homes in the area. The judge also rapped the agency for its hasty actions in demolishing houses belonging to the “poor” and questioned the authorities for carrying out demolitions in the early hours and on a holiday. Despite the Supreme Court’s recent bulldozer verdict, the court questioned why demolitions were being carried out without issuing notices and what was the urgency in carrying out such actions on holidays. The court further recorded resentment over the failure to follow regulations during such actions, even if the cases involved illegal constructions. The petitioners, claiming to have been in possession of the property for over six decades, alleged that HYDRAA personnel, along with armed police personnel, forcibly began the demolitions. The matter has been posted to April 27 for further hearing.