Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Thursday made it clear that the crop losses in Kothapalem and Dornala villages in Jogulamba Gadwal district were not on account of an act of God or floods, but on account of lack of assessment and estimation by the irrigation department.
Justice S.V. Bhatt was dealing with a petition by Shankaramma and 50 others of both villages who held that their lands were submerged under the Gudemdoddi balancing reservoir. Justice Bhatt said that the state is fully responsible and must answer for the losses incurred by the farmers.
During earlier stages of the case, the Judge had directed the district collector to constitute a three-member committee, comprising irrigation and revenue authorities, to determine the extent of the lands submerged by the reservoir.
Authorities erred in determining compensation: Counsel
The Hyderabad High Court on Thursday made it clear that the crop losses in Kothapalem and Dornala villages in Jogulamba Gadwal district were not on account of an act of God or floods, but on account of lack of assessment and estimation by the irrigation department.
The judge said, “This court declines to place the report of the district collector on record for the communication cannot be treated as a report or a decision taken by the collector, after accepting the report of the three-member committee on damage to the crops and agriculture infrastructure.”
Senior counsel Sarasani Satyam Reddy, appearing for the petitioners, told the court that the authorities acted irresponsibly in determining the compensation.
The judge noted that the counsel for the respondent could not satisfy the court that GO MS No. 2, which pertains to disaster management compensation, was applicable in this case.
Granting time to counsel for the respondents to get instructions, the judge said that if the authorities did not file a comprehensive report by the next date of hearing, the court would proceed in the matter from the material placed on record by the executive engineer, irrigation. The case was posted to to December 8.
