Telangana gets 2 more weeks to constitute Pollution Control Appellate Authority

Hyderabad: The High Court division bench directed the Special Chief Secretary to the State Government, Environment Forests Science and Technology Department to constitute the State Pollution Control Appellate Authority within two weeks, failing which the Special Chief Secretary shall remain present before the Chief Justice.

The bench, hearing the pleas seeking the constitution of Appellate Authority, further said that the court would initiate contempt of court proceedings against the Special Chief Secretary if the court orders were not implemented.

When Advocate General Banda Shivananda Prasad informed the court that the State still needed a week's time to issue a GO to constitute the Authority, the bench expressed its displeasure seeking to know why the general public should suffer due to the delay caused by the government in constituting the Authority.

The CJ noted that though ample time was given by the High Court to the State to constitute the Appellate Authority, there was a delay in fixing the honorarium to retired Judge who would be heading the Appellate Authority, despite the fact that the High Court had forwarded the name of a retired High Court Judge for appointing him as the Appellate Authority.

"Still the government has not yet taken a decision on this issue," said the displeased CJ, adjourning the matter by two weeks.