HYDERABAD: In a relief to the Telangana government, a division bench of the High Court on Friday modified the interim order of a single judge who had directed the state authorities not to take possession of the subject lands acquired for Komaravelli Mallanna Sagar reservoir in Etigadda Kistapur and other neighbouring villages in Thoguta mandal in Siddipet district until the rehabilitation and resettlement package benefits under the new Land Acquisition Act, 2013 were extended to the landless agricultural labourers who fall under the affected families category. The bench now confined the order to Etigadda Kistapur village only.
The bench, comprising acting chief justice Ramesh Ranganathan and justice J Uma Devi, passed this order on an appeal filed by the government against the single judge’s order. Recently, petitioners Nayini Saritha and 92 other landless agricultural labourers from Etigadda Kistapur village approached the High Court complaining that the state government had acquired lands in their village under GO 123 for construction of Mallannasagar reservoir and were attempting to take possession of such lands without providing rehabilitation and resettlement benefits under the Act 2013.
On June 6, a single judge granted relief to the petitioners by directing the authorities not to take possession of the lands in Etigadda Kistapur and other neighbouring villages. When the appeal came up for hearing, additional advocate-general J Ramachandra Rao raised an objection to the order for allowing the plea of the petitioners. The petitioners had not stated about the difficulties faced by them due to acquisition of lands in the neighbouring villages for the proposed reservoir, he pointed out.
R&R mandatory
While modifying the single judge’s order, the bench made it clear to the government to take possession of the subject lands after providing rehabilitation and resettlement package benefits to the affected families of the above village. The Land Act 2013 prohibits taking possession of lands until full payment of compensation as well as rehabilitation are done.