Telangana HC declines to restrain HYDRA from Musi demolitions

HYDRA's counsel asserted that no houses along the Musi River had been demolished to date.

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday, October 23, declined to issue interim orders to prevent the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRA) from demolishing illegally constructed buildings along the Musi River.

This decision came after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by KA Paul of the Praja Shanti Party, which claimed that the demolitions disproportionately affected poorer families living along the riverbank.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao emphasized that PILs based solely on newspaper reports lack sufficient verification and cannot be entertained as evidence.

Newspaper reports cannot be construed as evidence: HC

The court noted that the petitioner’s claims were primarily derived from newspaper reports and could not be construed as evidence without verification.

Nevertheless, the bench ordered HYDRA and the state government to submit counter-affidavits regarding the matter.

Paul argued that while poor families faced demolition of their homes, structures belonging to influential individuals remained untouched.

He highlighted that over 462 buildings had already been demolished in Hyderabad, raising concerns about fairness and discrimination in enforcement.

No houses along Musi demolished to date: HYDRA’s counsel

In response, HYDRA’s counsel asserted that no houses along the Musi River had been demolished to date.

They explained that authorities from the Irrigation and Revenue departments were conducting surveys to assess the riverbed’s terrain.

Additionally, they mentioned that displaced families were being provided with double-bedroom housing as compensation for their losses.