Hyderabad: The Telangana high court on Friday directed the state govt not to take any coercive action against homeowners at Doolapally in the city over allegations that their houses were constructed within the Full Tank Level (FTL) area of Fox Sagar lake. Justice B Vijaysen Reddy issued the direction while hearing a lunch motion petition filed by the homeowners challenging two govt orders issued on July 7. The matter was posted for further hearing on July 27.The petitioners, who constructed houses on the survey numbers after obtaining statutory permissions and occupancy certificates, challenged the govt’s decision to revoke the 2019 and 2023 govt orders that changed the land use of the properties from recreational to residential.“These orders state that the survey numbers fall within the Fox Sagar lake FTL and that all consequential permissions should be cancelled pending an inquiry into the fixation of the FTL,” senior counsel A Venkatesh and advocate K Pratik Reddy, appearing for the petitioners, argued.The counsel further contended that the official cadastral map and the preliminary notification uploaded on the HMDA website showed that the lands were outside the lake’s buffer zone and FTL.They also argued that the govt had admitted that examination of records and the inquiry into the FTL were still pending, making the cancellation of permissions premature and arbitrary. After examining the records, the high court granted interim protection, restraining authorities from taking coercive steps against the petitioners’ properties until the next hearing.
