Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Thursday, February 27, issued a notice to the state government regarding the alignment of the Old City metro project in Hyderabad.
The High Court granted a three-week window for the government to respond to a public interest litigation filed by Y Rahim Khan, president of the Act Public Welfare Foundation, an NGO dedicated to the preservation of heritage.
The petitioner argued that the proposed alignment would harm several heritage structures and urged the court to halt the project until a comprehensive Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) is conducted. Khan also demanded that the government obtain the statutory approvals required under the Telangana Heritage Act and the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958.
Heritage Sites To Be Affected
Khan claimed that key heritage sites, including Purani Haveli, Azakhana-e-Zehra, Jama Masjid, Darulshifa, and the Moghalpura Tomb, would be adversely affected by the project.
He sought directives to ensure strict compliance with heritage laws and requested the court to stay approvals for infrastructure projects within a 200-meter radius of these historically significant sites. Additionally, Khan called for a moratorium on all development activities within these protected zones.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara declined to issue immediate interim orders, emphasizing that the respondents must first be heard.
The bench directed Advocate General A Sudharshan Reddy to submit the state government’s response within the next three weeks.
The petitioner was instructed to file a rejoinder within two weeks after receiving the government’s affidavit.
The case was adjourned to April 3.
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