VIJAYAWADA: The government on Wednesday informed the High Court that it is reconsidering the orders issued for allotting land belonging to the AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) to Lulu Mall in Vijayawada. The government told the HC that it would file a detailed affidavit explaining its stand on the issue.
Taking note of the submission, the HC adjourned the hearing for four weeks. The order was issued by a bench comprising Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Challa Gunaranjan.
The case relates to the allotment of about 4.15 acres of land belonging to APSRTC in Vijayawada to Lulu Mall. The government’s decision was challenged through separate Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed before the High Court.
The petitions were filed by former minister and farmers’ leader Vadde Shobhanadreeswara Rao, Vijayawada-based advocate Ch Venkateswara Rao and Paka Satyanarayana from Visakhapatnam, among others. They questioned the legality of the government’s order allotting the RTC land to the private commercial project.
During the hearing, Advocate General Dammalapati Srinivas, representing the state government, informed the court that the government is reviewing the allotment orders issued in favour of Lulu Mall. He told the bench that he had received oral instructions from the government regarding the reconsideration of the decision.
The Advocate General requested time to submit a comprehensive affidavit with all details on the matter. Accepting the request, the High Court bench adjourned the hearing of the PILs for four weeks.