Telangana high court seeks report on illegal construction on Bhoodan land

HYDERABAD: Taking serious note of alleged encroachments on Bhoodan and Gairan Sarkari lands, the Telangana high court has sought a detailed explanation from the Rangareddy district administration. Justice CV Bhaskar Reddy on Wednesday directed the district collector to submit a report by July 11 on alleged construction activity underway in Nagaram village, despite a status quo order issued earlier by the court.The matter pertains to a contempt petition filed by Birla Mallesh, who has consistently flagged what he describes as irregular and illegal land transactions involving Bhoodan and govt-owned grazing lands in survey numbers 181, 182, 194, and 195 of Nagaram village in Maheshwaram mandal. These transactions, he alleges, involved senior IAS and IPS officers and were carried out in violation of land-use regulations and court directives.Gairan Sarkari is a grazing land that is public property and cannot legally be sold or transferred. On April 24, the court took cognisance of Mallesh's submissions and passed a clear order directing the state to place the said lands-comprising Bhoodan and Gairan Sarkari plots-in the prohibited list, thereby halting all forms of sale, transfer, or development. It had also restrained govt departments and officials from making any alterations, alienations, or modifications to the disputed properties until further orders.However, Mallesh returned to court with a contempt plea, alleging that unauthorised construction continues unabated on the land. In support of his claim, he submitted photographs showing a compound wall being erected around site in question.The petitioner emphasised that the land is classified as Gairan Sarkari, and reiterated that the Bhoodan lands, donated under a post-Independence land reform initiative for the landless, carry specific restrictions on alienation and must be preserved in public interest.