Hyderabad: Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the proposed auction of two land parcels measuring around 10 acres near Durgam Cheruvu in Raidurg.A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana dismissed the PIL filed by Hyderabad-based environmentalist Juvvadi Pranay Simha Rao.Rao sought immediate cancellation of the auction and urged the court to direct the Telangana govt to permanently declare the identified land parcels as a dedicated rock preserved area and develop them into a biodiversity park.The petitioner contended that the proposed auction violated earlier statutory orders classifying land around Durgam Cheruvu as a heritage precinct aimed at protecting ancient geological formations.Claiming to be a researcher engaged in raptor conservation in India since 1996, Rao stated that he has regularly undertaken field surveys and habitat studies in rocky and forested landscapes to generate long-term data on raptors and their ecosystems. He further argued that the proposed auction sites were previously designated as protected hillock and rock-preserved zones.Apart from alleging administrative inconsistencies, the PIL highlighted environmental concerns, asserting that the 2.5 billion-year-old rock formations are irreplaceable natural assets critical to the region’s ecology and to the Durgam Cheruvu catchment area.Appearing for the petitioner, counsel P Mohith Rao argued that commercialisation of the land would lead to severe environmental degradation, soil erosion and disruption of local flora, fauna and groundwater retention systems, thereby violating fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.Two separate petitions challenging the auction are already pending before the Telangana high court. While one petition alleges that the auction would adversely affect the rock formations in the area, the other claims ownership rights over the proposed auction land.The high court has sought counters from the state govt in both matters. The govt has maintained that the rock formations do not fall within the proposed auction sites and that the auction would not affect the rock formations in any manner.
