Court refuses to stop work on GHMC park

Asking what was wrong if a playground was converted into a park, the Hyderabad High Court refused to stay the GHMC’s work in Bharathnagar Colony here on Tuesday.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice J. Uma Devi was dealing with a PIL filed by one P. Nagi Reddy seeking a direction to the GHMC to stop all further activity on the playground.

Counsel for the petitioner said that students of nearby private schools were using the ground, and they would be deprived of space if the park were to come up.

The bench expressed displeasure at the school management for using the GHMC playground as its own. The bench said the citizens were crying for lung space and there was a dire need of having more parks.

The judges asked the petitioner which law allowed the courts to intervene in the construction of the parks.

The bench said it was the duty of the school management to provide a playground to their students when they are collecting huge fees.

The judges cited an example of a management that had obtained permission to run a school, stating that it had a playground. It turned out that the playground was located in Ghatkesar. How can the students go and play in Ghatkesar, the bench asked.

The bench said the playground was meant for children of local residents. If the GHMC decided to construct the park, the court would not intervene it said.