Musi Rejuvenation Project: Telangana HC Upholds Legitimacy

Hyderabad: Giving a sigh of relief to the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government, the Telangana High Court cleared the decks for Musi Rejuvenation Project. The high court has upheld the state government’s Mission Musi project.

The court has ruled that Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection Agency (HYDRAA) is legal which was established to protect water bodies and government-owned lands from encroachments.

Justice CV Bhaskar Reddy said the state government can derive power from Nizam-era Hyderabad State Irrigation Act, the Telangana Irrigation Act and the Walta Act, 2002 and disposed of a batch of writ petitions filed to challenge HYDRAA;s legality and the Musi project.

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The court also directed the state government and law enforcing authorities to take strict action against encroachers and illegal occupants along the Musi riverbed. The judge emphasized the state’s role as a trustee for rivers, lakes, and other water bodies, rejecting any claims to legal sanctity for encroachments or unauthorized allotments on lake beds or riverbeds.

Some of the key directives issued by the Telangana High Court are:

Survey and Eviction: The state was instructed to conduct a comprehensive survey of encroachments along the Musi river and evict unauthorized occupants from the full tank level (FTL), riverbed, and buffer zones.
Rehabilitation of the Poor: The court directed the government to rehabilitate poor encroachers displaced during the eviction process.
3.Action Against Encroachers: Law enforcement authorities were ordered to initiate criminal proceedings against land grabbers and encroachers destroying water bodies.
4.Prevent Sewage Contamination: The state was asked to ensure that no sewage contaminates the Musi river.

‘No legal sanctity for lakebed allotments’

The court rejected the petitions and unequivocally stated that allotments of lakebeds for housing or other purposes have no legal validity. It directed the state to acquire and compensate for encroached shikam or patta lands to safeguard water bodies.

‘HYDRAA’s legitimacy upheld

Justice Bhaskar Reddy dismissed the petitions challenging the legal authority of HYDRAA. The judge said the state government can constitute the agency under the Telangana Irrigation Act. He also emphasized that HYDRAA’s functions align with the state’s obligations to manage and protect community resources for public benefit.