HC seeks list of scheduled areas in Bhadrachalam

Hyderabad: A division bench of Telangana High Court on Friday directed the special chief secretary, municipal administration & urban development (MA&UD) to file a detailed affidavit regarding  the number of villages in Bhadrachalam that are to be listed as scheduled areas.

The bench of Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice C.V. Bhasker Reddy is hearing a writ plea filed by Sonde Veeraiah, a tribal activist and convener of Gondwana Samkshema Parishad, seeking a direction to declare that the Telangana Municipalities Act cannot be applied in scheduled areas.

He also contended that MA&UD, panchayat raj and rural development departments had not conducted elections in the gram panchayat of Bhadrachalam, thereby depriving the locals of their rights. The government sought an adjournment in this case. The matter has been adjourned to Monday for further hearing.