Hyderabad High Court to hear case of farmers not compensated for power towers

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court is treating a letter regarding power utilities not paying compensation to farmers despite utilising their fields to built power transmission towers as a petition and will hear it.

Mr P. Chengal Reddy, a social activist, had written a letter the Chief Justice seeking intervention of the court to pay compensation to the farmers.

Mr Reddy said transmission companies were denying compensation to the hundreds of farmers in both states from 2003 which was in violation of the provisions of the Electricity Act 2003.

He said the action of the transmission companies was also in violation of Works of Licensees Rules 2006 of the Centre and the AP Works of Licensees Rules 2007.

He wrote that due to the erection of the towers in agriculture fields, scores of farmers had lost their livelihood and denial of compensation had subjected them to put to mental agony.

He urged the court to direct the transmission companies to pay compensation to the affected farmers for loss of crops, gardens, plantations, tube wells, sheds and structures with interest from the date of construction as per Act 2003.