Hyderabad: Despite the current status of the Telangana High Court, excavations continued on Sunday on the controversial Bathukamma Kunta website in Bagh Amberpet. Seeing the location and trucks operated at that location raise questions about the implementation of judicial orders and accountability of state institutions.
The site, which is spread across seven acres of land in the survey No. 563/1, is trapped in a long-standing dispute between BRS leaders Aedla Sudhakar Reddy and Hydraa. Reddy claimed under a 1986 agreement that the land belonged to his family and believed it was dry land for residential purposes. Government agencies insist that it was a lake bed, and Reddy was allegedly filled with debris that could be converted into private property.
The civil case on the issue was heard in the Hyderabad Municipal Civil Court.
The High Court had ordered the status quo on 17 February 2025 and reiterated on 7 May that this makes it binding that no activity should be carried out on the land until the next hearing on 10 June. Still, the workers at the site did not seem to be interrupted.
A worker on the ground told Deccan Chronicle“The machinery has been moved in. The rent is being paid, and it’s just idle. So it’s decided to keep going on the work, not let it waste.”
Witnesses also confirmed the activity on the ground. “They have been working since Friday – JCBS, trucks, the whole thing,” one watcher posted near the website. “No one will stop them despite all the court orders.” One local resident added: “We also saw this earlier – they recovered after their February accommodation. This time, they looked more confident.”
The ongoing activity prompted Sudhakar Reddy to despise the court notice. The notice was dispatched by its attorney P. Badri Premnath on Sunday, which accused Hydraa of “willful and wanton disobedience” of the May 7 order. It also warned that further violations could be brought under the Court Contempt Act.
When it came to this, Hydraa Assistant Chief Engineer B. Sujeeth (Hydraa Assiston) filed a complaint against Reddy with Reddy, saying he was “no longer associated with the Bathukamma Kunta project”. Attempts to reach Hydraa officials on Sunday were not answered, and so far the agency declined to comment on the ongoing work on site.
