The Telangana High Court on Monday issued notices to State government in a PIL plea which challenged some sections of the newly passed Telangana Municipalities Act-2019.
A division bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A. Abhishek Reddy instructed the government to file a detailed counter in the matter, posting the matter after three hours for next hearing. The government passed the new Act empowering commissioners of municipalities concerned to demolish buildings constructed without permission and in violation of master plans.
A resident of West Venkatapuram near Alwal filed the PIL petition seeking to declare illegal section 178 (2) of the Act which empowers the municipal commissioners to demolish structures erected illegally. The earlier Act had provisions which mandated that before demolishing a building the authorities had to confirm it was an illegal one by issuing notices and conducting inquiry.
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The section in the new Act gives scope for the authorities to take unilateral decisions, the petitioner said. The new Act also has provisions which empower the officials to collect the money spent for demolition of the illegally raised buildings from the respective owners.
The petitioner made Principal Secretary of Municipal Administration and Urban Development and Law Department Secretary as respondents along with Commissioner and Director of Municipal Administration.