HYDERABAD: The High Court on Thursday issued interim orders, staying the execution of work on the Greenlands-Shilparamam segment of Corridor-3 of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project. “It appears that the state government granted the rights for metro rail on an earlier occasion in favour of an agency, in a similar clandestine manner, keeping the entire project away from public scrutiny. At least when its decision turned out to be a blunder, it ought to have been careful and followed the procedure prescribed under the relevant provisions of law,” justice L Narasimha Reddy remarked on Thursday.Pronouncing the judgement, the judge said acceptance of the contention of the HMRL managing director and the state government would lead to disastrous consequences. ``A scheme which involves transfer of vast extents of government land, acquisition of large number of private properties, dislocation of road transport system for a considerable time and conferring of the largesse of a high magnitude upon a private agency cannot take place without reference to any public opinion. In the counter-affidavit, the respondents impliedly stated that the provisions of the Metro Railways Act were not followed. The respondents have chosen to bring about and establish a metro railway under the AP Tramways Act.’’ The judge remarked that the managing director appears to shield or immunise HMR from any plausible objections, and unfortunately the state, in its eagerness to spread a red carpet for a private agency, has chosen to violate and break the law enacted by itself. It is not out of place to mention that the very purpose of enacting the AP Tramways Act was, keeping in view the present ‘Metro Railway Project’. So much of urgency was felt that an ordinance was issued and, later on, it became an Act. ``After perusal of the counter-affidavit of HMRL, it is evident that not only vast number and extents of private properties but also important public institutions such as Durgabai Deshmukh Government women’s Technical Training Institute and a government primary school at Krishnanagar are going to be virtually wiped out or made dysfunctional. A short span of a few kilometres contains many curves. It is only the public at large that should know them so that they will be in a position to put forward their contentions, not only from the point of view of the loss of property but also the safety. “Hence, the writ petition filed by the petitioners is ordered as prayed for”, the judge said.The petitioners _ a joint action committee and 20 others who are residents or owners of establishments in Greenlands, Ameerpet, Madhuranagar, Yousufguda and Krishnanagar areas _ contended that one of the corridors which has to pass through Jubilee Hills check-post, LV Prasad hospital, Punjagutta and Greenlands, was modified in such a way that it would passes through Krishnanagar, Yousufguda and Ameerpet. There was no justification for changing the route, they said and pleaded that the project details were kept a closely-guarded secret, and relevant plans were not furnished in spite of requests.
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