Hyderabad: Justice Vinod Kumar of the Telangana High Court has pulled up the state government and the land acquisition authorities for forcibly taking over agricultural lands from farmers without passing an award and not following the set land acquisition procedure.
The “imperious attitude” of the authorities came in for sharp criticism from the court, while it was dealing with a petition from Moku Venkat Reddy and another aggrieved. Their land admeasuring 6.15 acres in Ramaram Village of Gunal Manal in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district was proposed to be acquired for construction of the Main Canal of Nawabpet Reservoir under Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme. A preliminary notification was issued to this effect in 2018. But nothing happened by way of a follow-up.
The petitioners submitted to the court that they came to know recently their land records were suddenly changed and their lands thus came under the ambit of the irrigation project. “Without awarding a compensation amount, how could the authorities change the records and take away the land,” the petitioners asked in utter anguish.
The petitioners also said the preliminary notification is valid only for 12 months after it is issued. But, in this case, it was after a long time that the authorities relied on the old notification.
The judge found fault with the authorities and stayed the further proceedings in respect of the land acquisition.
