The Telangana High Court has given the Finance department one week to clear pending payments to private agencies that supplied fishlings for government programmes. Justice T Madhavi Devi directed the authorities to release the payments by March 9 and submit a compliance report before the court on March 13. The court questioned the delay in clearing the bills and asked how funds earmarked for the payments were diverted to meet employees’ salaries. The matter came up while hearing an interlocutory application filed by Sandeep Kumar Sultania, principal secretary, Finance department, seeking exemption from personal appearance in the case.
Plea to reclaim land given for substation rejected
The Telangana High Court dismissed a writ petition filed by M/s Sri Abhishek Steels and Power Limited seeking restoration of about three acres of land in Medchal that had been handed over to the electricity board for construction of a substation. Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka held that the company could not reclaim the land after voluntarily transferring possession and found no grounds for interference under Article 226 of the Constitution. The petitioner claimed that authorities had been occupying land at Kandla Koi village since 1991 and sought restoration of possession and compensation. It argued that the land had been given for establishing a 132/33 kV substation on the assurance that a dedicated feeder line would supply power to its steel plant at Gundla Pochampally.
HC directs clearance of Rs 198 crore dues to NCC Ltd
The Telangana High Court has directed the Finance department to clear pending dues of Rs 198 crore payable to NCC Limited, a Hyderabad-based infrastructure firm, and submit a compliance report by March 20. Justice T Madhavi Devi issued the direction while hearing a contempt petition filed by the company seeking implementation of the court’s earlier order on payment of dues for government projects. The court observed that private agencies executing government works depend on timely payments to sustain operations and pay employees, and that prolonged delays could place companies under financial strain.