Telangana high court seeks state govt’s response on plea against radial road land acquisition

Hyderabad: Telangana high court on Monday directed the state govt to file its counters in a petition filed by a 98-year-old woman and 30 others, challenging land acquisition for a stretch of the greenfield radial road from the Outer Ring Road at Meerkhanpet to the Regional Ring Road at Amangal in Rangareddy district.Justice NV Shravan Kumar issued the directions while hearing the petition, which contests a notification for acquisition of 554.34 acres across Kurmidda village in Yacharam mandal, Kadthal and Mudwin villages in Kadthal mandal, and Amangal and Akuthotapally villages in Amangal mandal. The petitioners alleged that the acquisition process was initiated without following the mandatory procedure under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, including the failure to grant them a personal hearing as required by law. The matter has been posted for hearing after the court vacation. They urged the court to declare the proceedings illegal, arbitrary, mala fide and unsustainable. The petitioners contended that not only were they denied a personal hearing on their objections, but their objections were also rejected. Apprehending dispossession, they sought setting aside of the acquisition proceedings concerning their lands measuring up to 61.24 acres across various survey numbers. Appearing for the state, advocate general A Sudarshan Reddy submitted that of the total 554.34 acres, around 200 acres of land is under dispute, and compensation has already been awarded for about 26 acres. He urged the court not to stay the acquisition process. He said the court may take an undertaking from the govt that the petitioners will not be dispossessed from their lands till a compensation award is not passed.