Kaleshwaram: HC gives a week’s time for TS to respond

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday granted one week time for Telangana government to respond to the writ petition filed challenging the action of state government in redesigning the Kaleshwaram project by clubbing and raising the two reservoirs Munchappa and Kondam Cheruvu in Nizamabad district.

Justice A Rajasheker Reddy was dealing with a petition filed by Banoth Eeshwar Singh and 60 other agriculturists from the district with a plea to declare the action of state government in changing the project design as illegal.Petitioners’ counsel V Raghunath pointed out that the impugned GO dated Oct 12 this year was issued without following due process of law particularly the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 and Forest Act, 1980.

In the name of change in project design the government decided to merge Kondam and Munchappa tanks into one huge reservoir. Following a plea to grant some time by the state counsel to respond on the issue, judge posted the matter to next week to hear the arguments of TS advocate general.