HYDERABAD: Expressing displeasure at the Andhra Pradesh government for its failure to submit details of the benefits provided to the affected families in accordance with the provisions of the new Land Acquisition Act, 2013, a division bench of the High Court on Tuesday granted it time till April 30 for submitting details of a survey conducted to identify the affected families in respect of land acquisition notifications and issue of awards providing rehabilitation and resettlement package under the Act 2013. The bench made it clear that the authorities have to conduct survey by visiting the houses to identify the affected persons.
The bench of acting chief justice Ramesh Ranganathan and justice K Vijaya Lakshmi was dealing with a PIL filed by AP Agricultural Workers Union, represented by its general secretary V Venkateswarlu, seeking justice to the persons affected due to land acquisition notifications issued for various projects in the state. Seeking directions to the state government for providing benefits to the affected persons who included agricultural labour and others who were dependent on the lands acquired by the government for various projects.
On an earlier occasion, advocate-general Dammalapati Srinivas had given an undertaking to the court that four months’ time would be required for identifying the affected families in respect of 600 land acquisition notifications issued.When he had sought some time for placing the details before the court, the bench adjourned the case to April 24.
When the matter came up for hearing on Tuesday, the AG submitted that the details pertaining to identifying the affected families would be placed before the court, and there was no need to place the details regarding the awards passed under the Act. Not satisfied with the submissions of the AG, the bench cautioned that the court would pass necessary orders against the land acquisition officers if they failed to pass the awards providing benefits to the affected persons.
Referring to acquisition of 47 acres of land for a project at Chintalapudi in West Godavari district, the AG said that no person had come forward though the authorities had issued a notification in newspapers for identifying the affected persons. There was no award was passed to benefit the affected families, he added.
After perusing the Act, the bench made it clear that the authorities had to visit the houses to identify the affected persons.While adjourning the case to April 30, the bench directed the government to submit report to the court by furnishing survey details and awards passed benefiting the affected persons.