NGT takes serious view of BRS corporator’s villa project

· Greater Infra Project’s villas’ venture coming up at Varrakunta tank in Bollarum

· Complaint lodged with NGT over the ‘encroachment’ of the tank

· HMDA, Sangareddy Collector directed to inspect the villa project

Responding to a complaint lodged by the Human Rights, Consumer Protection Cell Trust, the National Green Tribunal directed the HMDA and Sangareddy District Collector to inspect the Villa Project of the BRS corporator’s development firm near a lake in Bollarum. The NGT also asked the Union Environment and Forest Department’s regional office and asked it to conduct an independent probe into the matter by August 4. A complaint has been lodged with the NGT alleging that Greater Infra Projects and some other realtors have encroached upon the Varrakunta tank under survey no. 82 and 83 of Bollarum in Jinnaram Mandal.

Upon inspecting the images of the tank since 2010, it appears that the tank has been fully destroyed. It can be gauged that the HMDA too gave its permission for the villa project. The HMDA should be held responsible for the damage if the villa project is being executed there. The NGT made it clear that it would not hesitate to pull down the villas if the villas were found to be built in the tank bed. Thakur Raj Kumar Singh, who represents the NGO that lodged the complaint, said that the HMDA gave permission to the Greater Infra Project to build villas there without quoting the survey numbers. A BRS corporator functions as promoter and director of the company.

The Google images clearly indicate that the tank bed has been completely encroached with the support of the officials, he said. Surprisingly, the irrigation department served notices on the Greater Infra Projects noticing that the company is discarding the construction debris in the Varrakunta tank. It asked the realtor to put on hold the construction activities in the buffer zone of the water body. Greater Infra Projects director KV Prasada Rao indicated that the tank is situated in the survey numbers of 81, 83 and 84, but the company is constructing the villas under survey no.82.