Hyderabad: In a relief to agriculture labourers belonging to Vemulaghat and Etigadda Kistapur villages that will be affected by the Mallannasagar reservoir, the Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday directed officials not to dispossess them without providing resettlement and rehabilitation.
Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao while dealing with two petitions filed by 113 agriculture labourers from the two villages directed the authorities not to take possession of the land which were purchased under GO No 123, without providing benefits under the Resettlement and Rehabilitation Package to affected families in accordance with Land Acquisition Act 2013.
Mr Ch. Ravi Kumar, counsel for the petitioners, told the court that the government had procured land under GO 123 for the construction of the Komaravelli Mallan-nasagar reservoir under the Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation Scheme.
He said the authorities had been proceeding to take possession of the land and start construction in Etigadda Kistapur and Vemulaghat and neighbouring villages.
He said the petitioners were eking out their livelihood by working on the lands which have since been procured by the government. If the government takes away the land without providing rehabilitation to the petitioner families, they would starve to death.
Reacting to the submissions, the judge granted an interim order and issued notices to the respondents and directed them to file counter-affidavits.
