Hyderabad, Nov. 6 -- The Telangana High Court has strongly criticised the ongoing encroachments of lakes and ponds across the state, blaming unchecked land allocations by revenue officials for the gradual disappearance of these vital water bodies.

The court remarked strongly that with everything dependent on the revenue department, "the country might improve only if this department is abolished."

Khammam encroachment case

During the hearing, Justice Jukanti Anil Kumar expressed anger over the authorities' failure to file counters for nine years in a case involving the inclusion of private patta land in Khammam district's Penuballi mandal under the Kakatiya Mission scheme.

The original petition, filed in 2016 by B. Sanjeeva Reddy and s...