HYDERABAD: Responding to a PIL accusing the State government of failing to pay ex-gratia to the kin and kith of the farmers who died by suicide due to crop failure, the Telangana High Court on Thursday summoned the Principal Secretary (Revenue) to appear before it on April 6, 2022.
A bench, comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili, was hearing the PIL filed by Bannuru Kondala Reddy, a social activist from Siddipet, seeking a direction to the Telangana government to pay ex-gratia to the dependents of all the farmers who ended their lives due to crop failure.
Appearing for the petitioner, counsel Vasudha Nagraj informed the court that though the government had issued GO 173 on September 22, 2015 sanctioning payment of `6 lakh as ex-gratia to each of the 13 families in Vikarabad district, 23 in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district and four families in Peddapalli, Jangaon and Karimnagar, till date, the amount has not reached the kin of the victims.
Justice Sharma expressed serious concern over the undue delay in release and payment of the ex-gratia amount to the dependents of the farmers. Turning towards the Government Pleader (GP), Justice Sharma said: “People have died and they are no more and you still want their dependents to suffer every day. The government has issued a GO sanctioning the amount but nothing further has been done.” The court refused to grant more time to the GP and adjourned the case to April 6, 2022.