- Can Hydra demolish illegal constructions within the scope of GO 111?
- Except for the houses of the poor, aren’t the buildings of the rich not visible?
Demolishing the homes of the poor is easy because they are helpless and can only express their sorrow in front of the media, but can do nothing beyond that. They can’t roam around police stations or courts, nor can they spend money on legal battles. This is why organisations like Hydra often target the poor. The Hydra Commissioner should demolish the illegal constructions, villa projects, and convention centres in the GO 111 areas. Only then will the common and middle-class people feel that respect for the authority is being upheld.
In fact, illegal constructions in the areas under the jurisdiction of GO 111 have been on the rise and continue to emerge. Despite several attempts to stop them and ensure that no further constructions take place, the authorities have turned a blind eye. After Hydra took over, it primarily focused on demolishing the houses of the poor. On holidays, they stormed and flattened their residences, without even allowing them the chance to approach the court for a stay order. The public is now questioning why Hydra, which is showing such force on the houses of the poor, is not taking any action against the buildings of the wealthy. Particularly, the illegal constructions within the GO 111 area—are they not visible to Hydra? This is a question being raised by the common people.
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Recently, the High Court has expressed serious concern over this issue. Despite the enforcement of GO 111, illegal constructions and the building of convention centres continue in the surrounding areas of the Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs. The court has directed the state government to clarify whether this is happening. It has also instructed the government to submit a counter within four weeks on this matter.
A person has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the High Court, alleging that illegal constructions in the areas falling under GO 111 are continuing unabated. The PIL mentions that several convention centres are being constructed under names like Anand, Neo, Arya, and KLN Utsav. It was pointed out that each convention centre has a capacity of over 5,000 people, and therefore, the amount of waste and pollution generated from them should be considered.
The petition also highlighted that these constructions pose a significant threat to the twin reservoirs. Despite the ban orders on construction in these areas, the concerned authorities have reportedly ignored the issue. The petitioner also mentioned that Hydra, which was set up for the protection of lakes and reservoirs, has not intervened to stop these constructions. After hearing the arguments, the bench issued notices to the state government and the owners of five convention centres. Now, it remains to be seen whether Hydra will respond to this issue.
