Hyderabad: Justice Challa Kodanda Ram on Monday directed the land acquisition authorities of Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project to consider the applications of farmers to enhance the compensation for the lands which were acquired for the construction of barrage across the Godavari river at Medigadda.
The farmers want compensation of `10 lakh per acre or more compared to the current Rs 3 lakh an acre.
The court was dealing with the petition by Mulk-ala Srinivas and 12 others of Suraram of Mahadevpur mandal in Jayashankar Bhupalapally district complaining that they had been paid Rs 3 lakh per acre, while their neighbours were paid a compensation of Rs 13.75 lakh an acre.
The counsel for the petitioner submitted that the authorities were discriminatory towards the petitioners did not agree for making a consent award.
While submitting that Rs 10 lakh per acre was paid to others for land acquisition, the government counsel said that the award amount of the petitioners was decided by the Collector invoking under Section 77 of the Act, as the petitioners did not choose to take the award amount.
The government counsel also condemned the claims of the petitioners imputing motives to the officials.
After listening to the arguments of both sides, the judge directed the authorities to consider the applications of the petitioners to enhance the compensation.
