Telangana HC forms panel for restoration of monuments

It said the first meeting of the committee shall be on April 22 and posted the matter to June.

Hyderabad: A two-judge panel of the Telangana High Court comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy on Thursday constituted a committee comprising an official from Archaeological Survey of India (Superintendent Engineer), Electricity Department, Revenue Department, and a nominee of the AGA Khan Foundation among others for the preservation, conservation and restoration of Golconda Fort and Qutub Shahi Tombs along with other historical monuments.

Earlier, the State and the Central government were directed to file a detailed report, but they failed to do so. The panel directed them to file a re-development plan of the entire area, including market areas around the monuments. It said the first meeting of the committee shall be on April 22 and posted the matter to June.

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Directives on missing children

The same panel issued fresh directions to the Central and the State government on tracing missing children in the State. It reiterated the need to introduce ‘Track Child Version 3’ for tracking missing children and asked for a detailed report of the children missing and the tracked. The details of how the local police have been sensitised and the focus on groups to uplift children are also required.

The panel directed that the State Legal Service Authority, Juvenile Justice Boards and Child Welfare Committee be made parties to the petition. The data to be submitted include the number of children missing, traced, reunited, steps taken for integrating them in the mainstream. The matter has been posted to June 16.

Illegal constructions

The same panel issued directions to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to file all the details concerning unauthorised and illegal constructions. It also sought details of the staff available to conduct surveys and investigations into illegal constructions. Further, it held that the demolition must also take place with the expenses of private parties.

A PIL was filed against the GHMC by G Praveen Kumar. It was pointed out that action was taken against four officers for inaction, mainly the Municipality Commissioner and the Town Planning Officer of the Pedda Amberpet Municipality. The panel directed the corporation to file a detailed list of the cases pending. It was opined that the GHMC is working on a legal case management system and is monitoring all cases.

State pulled up over burial ground issue

Justice P Naveen Rao of the Telangana High Court on Thursday came down heavily on the State for not getting instructions and filing the counters in the case filed by Jerusalem Marhaiah Mathai Peruku challenging the orders of the State in cancelling the permission of a burial ground in Nadergul of Balapur.

The petitioners’ counsel brought to the notice of the court that after the allotment of the burial ground, the bodies of many who died of Covid-19 were buried or cremated. When the burial ground is needed the most given the pandemic, its permissions were cancelled and the land is sought to be used for another purpose. The case had earlier come up in February and the court directed the State to file counter and get instructions, but the State had failed to do so.

The court now directed the State to file counter or get instructions by Monday failing which the Collector shall be present in the court. The case is posted on April 19.