Hyderabad: Five years after litigation over Hyderabad’s garbage disposal reached the National Green Tribunal (NGT), four sites identified by the GHMC for decentralised waste processing remain entangled in court cases, land-use approvals and objections from villages on the city’s outskirts. In a report filed on Oct 28, GHMC commissioner RV Karnan listed 19 filings made since Oct 2021 and detailed the obstacles facing projects spread across more than 782 acres in Rangareddy, Sangareddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts.The report, submitted before the NGT’s Southern Zone Bench in Chennai, states that land transfer is pending at one site, work has been halted under court orders at another, pollution control consent remains pending at a third, and land-use conversion is awaited at the fourth. The GHMC has nevertheless requested the tribunal to dispose of the case.22 mining cases hold up Banda Ravirayala projectAt Banda Ravirayala in Abdullapurmet mandal, the GHMC sought the transfer of 494 acres and 21 guntas in Survey No 268 from the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) on April 25, 2026. The transfer is still pending. Karnan’s report states that 22 cases filed by mining agencies concerning the land are pending before the Telangana high court. During a review meeting on Oct 27, the legal head of the Mines and Geology Department was directed to immediately coordinate the filing of applications seeking the vacation of stay orders.At Pyaranagar in Sangareddy, the GHMC took advance possession of 117 acres and acquired 0.6 hectares from the Forest Department for an approach road laid in Feb 2025. Litigation followed over claims that the land was private property, that public hearings and environmental clearance had not been obtained, and that waste disposal outside GHMC limits was impermissible. According to the report, work has been halted because of status quo orders issued by the high court and the NGT. The Sangareddy collector was directed to coordinate the filing of applications to vacate the stay orders within 15 days.Village objections, zoning approvals delay other sitesIn Siddapur, Kothur mandal, 86 acres were handed over to the GHMC on Feb 10, 2026, and subsequently transferred to Hyderabad Integrated MSW for setting up a processing facility. The application for Consent for Establishment is under consideration by the Telangana Pollution Control Board. Villagers and local representatives have submitted objections, which the Rangareddy collector has been directed to examine and address immediately.At Dundigal in Medchal-Malkajgiri, 85 acres and three guntas have been handed over for another facility. The proposal requires conversion of the land from Forest and S5 Use Zones to industrial use. The HMDA has approved the change in principle and submitted a draft variation certificate to the govt on Oct 6. The Special chief secretary agreed to expedite approval within a month.The directions were issued during a review meeting chaired by the Special chief secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development, on Oct 27, a day after the GHMC sought govt intervention. The collectors of Rangareddy, Sangareddy and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri were also directed to identify additional sites. State lawyers were instructed to place the latest position before the NGT on Oct 29.
