Legal professionals have pledged their assistance to HYDRA in providing strategic legal advice for its efforts to protect and rejuvenate lakes. Commending HYDRA’s proactive measures in safeguarding government lands, roads, and parks from encroachments, the experts emphasized the need for robust legal and administrative interventions.
At a workshop held on Saturday at the HYDRA office under the leadership of Commissioner A.V. Ranganath, several retired government officials and senior legal experts discussed challenges associated with lake protection, conservation of government lands, and strategies for effective legal action. The panel addressed various legal queries and stressed that restoring lakes and maintaining flood channels are critical to averting urban flooding.
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The experts noted that the disruption of interconnected chain lakes has resulted in flooding of low-lying areas and urban roads even during moderate rainfall exceeding two centimeters.
Emphasis on Legal Enforcement
While acknowledging the existence of laws for protecting lakes and public lands, the panel underscored the importance of strict enforcement. They recommended that HYDRA facilitate coordination among government departments to ensure sustainable environmental and developmental goals for future generations.
Addressing issues related to lake buffer zones, the experts clarified that private landowners near lake boundaries are limited to agricultural activities and hold no additional rights. They proposed constructing overpasses for roads crossing lakes to maintain uninterrupted water flow.
To counter attempts to fill buffer zones with soil and falsely claim flood-exempt status, the experts suggested employing advanced mapping tools like NRS A, Survey of India, and rural maps. They also recommended prohibiting the registration of plots in unauthorized layouts.
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Tackling Land Misuse
The panel discussed the misuse of public utility spaces earmarked in master plans and advocated for direct action against such violations. They stated that when villages under HMDA jurisdiction are incorporated into municipal limits, unauthorized layouts should not be recognized.
Additionally, the experts emphasized that 30% of land in any approved layout must be reserved for public amenities, as mandated by law. Any construction violating approved layout plans should be subject to legal demolition.
Participants included senior advocate Race Mahender Reddy, GHMC and HYDRA High Court standing counsel K. Ravinder Reddy, assistant standing counsel C.H. Jayakrishna, retired deputy collector and legal expert N. Srinivasa Rao, retired special deputy collector B. Madhusudhan, senior advocate and professor Dr. P. Raj Gopal, and other legal and departmental specialists.