VIJAYAWADA: A division bench of the Hyderabad High Court on Friday directed the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments to file detailed counter affidavits in a taken up case with regard to non-payment of compensation to the farmers despite utilising their agriculture fields for laying electrical towers and lines.
Why compensation was not paid when electrical lines were laid through farmers’ agriculture fields, the bench asked. The bench comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice Ramesh Ranganathan was dealing with the taken up case based on the letter by P Chengal Reddy, representing the Consortium of Indian Farmers Association (CIFA), addressed to the Chief Justice seeking intervention of the court for paying compensation to the farmers.
Reddy, in his letter, stated that the power transmission companies have been denying the compensation to thousands of farmers in both AP and Telangana states from the year 2003 which is in violation of the provisions of Electricity Act 2003. Action of the transmission companies was also in violation of the Works of Licensees Rules 2006 of the Centre and also the AP Works of Licensees Rules 2007.
He alleged that the towers are being erected in agricultural fields and lines are drawn by damaging the crops and no compensation was paid. He also mentioned about an incident that took place in Melavai village of Madakasira mandal in Anantapur district wherein two farmers suffered injuries when protested against laying of electrical lines in their agriculture lands.
AP government counsel told the court that the laying of electrical lines in Anantapur district was by Karnataka energy department.After perusing the letter, the bench issued notices to the respondents - AP and Telangana state chief secretaries, principal secretaries to energy, chairman and managing directors of transmission corporations for filing detailed counter affidavits on the issue and adjourned the case hearing by three weeks.