Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Wednesday directed the State Rehabilitation and Resettlement Commissioner to submit the details of 448 notifications, issued for land acquisition for various projects in the state, before it by June 4. The High Court strictly made it clear that it will not agree with the statement of the Andhra Pradesh government that there were no eligible persons under the project-affected families’ category.
A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice K. Vijaya Lakshmi was dealing with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Andhra Pradesh Agricultural Workers’ Union, challenging the action of the authorities concerned in resorting to displace the affected families under various projects without announcing the resettlement and rehabilitation packages.
The Bench said that it is not be proper on the part of the authorities concerned to sit in AC rooms and neglecting the poor workers.
Maintaining that they wondered at the statement of the authorities concerned that there were no artisans, agricultural labourers and other affected families in the areas covered in 448 notifications, the Bench directed the Commissioner to file the affidavit explaining the date of notification, extent of land and the process adopted to identify the project affected families.
The Bench directed to complete the survey for identifying the projected affected families in 152 notifications, out of 600 notifications, by May 31.
The Bench observed that the authorities are enthusiastic in only acquiring lands and not in rehabilitating the affected families and they will feel the pain of the affected people only when their salaries are stooped.
The Bench cautioned that if the authorities will not change their attitude, the entire land acquisitions in the state will be stalled.
Special Counsel for AP Ramesh reiterated the statement that there were no eligible families in the 448 notifications and told the court that in 152 notifications, R&R packages are yet to be announced.
The counsel for the petitioner told the court that no survey was conducted in Kurnool district while acquiring the land for the Solar Project and police cases were booked against the persons, whoever demanded the R&R package.
The Special Counsel told the court that the State Government ordered the authorities concerned to conduct the survey to identify affected families under the Solar Project when it came to its notice that no survey was conducted.
