GO 111: Telangana Congress to constitute fact-finding committee

Hyderabad: Telangana Congress party is to constitute a fact-finding committee against the cancellation of GO 111. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Revanth Reddy alleged that there was a huge scam behind the cancellation that needed to be brought out in the open.

The Telangana government cancelled GO 111 on 18 May. The government’s decision to scrap the order comes after a state committee report said the city is no longer receiving drinking water from the two reservoirs.

Is this for real estate?

This available land will be used for real estate development based on the new rules which are yet to be formulated. The scrapping of the government order comes just before the Assembly elections of the state which are due at the end of the year.

What is the reason for cancelling GO 111? Who is going to benefit the most?

Revanth Reddy said, “Floods have wreaked havoc in Hyderabad and if the reservoir areas are encroached, Hyderabad will face constant flood-like situation. The Congress party is going to constitute a fact-finding committee which will visit the villages under GO 111 and find out the actual conditions.”

The Congress is also going to hold discussions with environmentalists and chalk out a comprehensive report.

Why are the BJP leaders quiet?

Questions were raised by the Congress leaders on the silence of Telangana BJP state president Bandi Sanjay and Union minister Kishan Reddy.

“Why are they not complaining to the Central government?” asked Revanth Reddy.

The Congress party, in its meeting with senior leaders Mahesh Kumar Goud and Anjan Kumar Yadav, former PCC presidents Hanumantha Rao and Ponnala Lakshmaiah, MLA Sitakka and All India Congress Committee in-charge Manik Rao Thackeray, decided that they will go to the ground level to understand the impact of the state’s decision to scrap the GO.

What is GO 111?

In 1996, the government introduced GO 111 to protect the twin reservoirs as construction and industrial activities increased in and around the city. As part of the conservation of Osmansagar and Himayatsagar, the government introduced GO 111 on 8 March 1996 with the intention of not taking up any construction in the area within a 10 km radius.

The earlier GO 192, first brought in 1994, banned polluting industries, large hotels, residential colonies and other polluting structures within a radius of 10 km.

Due to objections, the issue of conservation of twin reservoirs reached the Supreme Court. Protection was granted by the Supreme Court and 84 villages were placed in the bio conservation zone.

The land mass in question is 1.32 lakh acres and it is going to be a dominant factor in the upcoming Assembly elections.