The Telangana high court on Wednesday sent out a stern message that those who are hiding behind stay orders obtained from courts to protect their illegal structures are no longer safe.
The high court also asked GHMC commissioner Lokesh Kumar to submit details of all cases on illegal structures that were pending with the high court as well as the civil courts. The court also directed its registrar general to keep all such courts informed of the fact that the CJ bench is seized of all such matters.
“We will create a special category for all such cases and would resolve all of them on a priority basis,” said a bench of Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A Abhishek Reddy, while hearing a plea filed by C R Sudhinder Kumar of Kruparam Bagh near Sultan Bazar in Hyderabad. The plea questioned the construction of five storey illegal structure in the area.
GHMC Commissioner Lokesh Kumar who was present in the court informed the bench that there are 10,600 complaints seeking demolition of illegal buildings in Greater Hyderabad. This is in addition to the 1.10 lakh illegal structures that are awaiting regularisation orders under building regularisation scheme.
“Of the 10,000 buildings that were declared illegal, we could demolish 3,400 buildings. But we were rendered helpless with respect of 4,600 illegal buildings whose owners obtained stay orders from courts”, Lokesh said.
The CJ assured the commissioner that they would be designated as special category cases and would be resolved on a priority basis.
“We cannot allow people to raise illegal structures and they cannot be permitted to abuse court process later,” the bench said, adding “We will take up a special drive to clear the city of illegal structures”. “Law of the land has to prevail and errant builders should be made to hear the sounds of bulldozers”, the CJ added.
The bench also told the GHMC chief to be cautious with his staff who were seemingly hand-in-glove with the illegal builders. “You have to take stringent action against them. Otherwise they will pull the wool over your eyes,” the bench said.
