HYDERABAD: On Friday, the Telangana High Court instructed the state government not to take any coercive actions against homeowners in Doolapally regarding claims that their homes are located within the Full Tank Level (FTL) area of Fox Sagar Lake. This directive was issued by Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy while considering a lunch motion petition filed by the affected homeowners contesting two government orders from July 7. Further hearings are scheduled for July 27.
The petitioners, who built their homes after securing necessary permissions and occupancy certificates, challenged the government’s revocation of orders from 2019 and 2023 that reclassified the land use from recreational to residential.
“These orders indicate that the properties fall within the FTL of Fox Sagar Lake and require cancellation of all relevant permissions pending an FTL inquiry,” argued senior counsel A. Venkatesh and advocate K. Pratik Reddy, representing the homeowners.
The legal team further contended that the official cadastral map and a preliminary notification on the HMDA website confirm that the properties are situated outside the lake’s buffer zone and FTL.
They also noted that the government had acknowledged that an examination of records and an FTL investigation are still ongoing, rendering the cancellation of permissions premature and arbitrary. After reviewing the case file, the High Court provided interim protection, preventing authorities from taking coercive measures against the homeowners until the next hearing.
