Hyderabad: Land acquired by the Hyderabad Metro Rail opposite the Secunderabad railway station has led to a tussle between Army officials and the endowments department.
The Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Trust based at Golconda Fort alleged that a piece of land owned by the then military estate officer, Secunderabad Cantonment, situated opposite Sikh Gurudwara in front of Palika Bazaar was leased to one Gangapershad for building a dharamshala.
HMR acquired 60 per cent of the land and released a cheque of Rs 4.88 crore in favour of the endowment department. The trust says this amount is not applicable and it is payable only to the DEO in the absence of MEO or the SCB chief executive officer.
The JJJK trust states in a document: “The 3-acre land belonging to the then MEO was leased to build the dharamshala, the lease holder built it in the name of Rajakaran Gangapershad Dharamshala. An amount of Rs 4.88 crore has been issued in favour of the endowment department.”
When contacted, HMR managing director N.V.S. Reddy said, “Opposite Secunderabad railway station, three properties were acquired. In several cases when the ownership is not established, the amount is deposited in court. HMR has a land acquisition wing in GHMC that verifies all documents before the amount is released. Then, as per the Land Acquisition Act, different notices are issued to record who the owner is. If many claim ownership, the official asks them to submit documents. In case of multiple claims, the amount is submitted in court. HMR has no role in this; a huge sum of '100 crore has been given to GHMC that processes the land acquisition.”
The SCB planning wing is yet to verify the documents submitted by the JJJK trust.
