Relief to land owners:  HC seeks TS, AP response

HYDERABAD: Expressing displeasure with the authorities of AP and Telangana governments for causing delay in payment of compensation to the land owners concerned in land acquisition cases, a division bench of the Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday directed the chief secretaries of both the states to file their reports before the court explaining the number of cases pending for compensation and the quantum of amount and the time required to pay compensation in pending cases before the lower courts. If the same situation continues then the High Court would not hesitate to stay the ongoing land acquisition proceedings in both the states, the bench warned.

The bench was passing this direction in a taken up PIL case based on a letter written by Mahabubnagar district judge G Venkata Krishnaiah to High Court Chief Jusitce. The district judge, in his letter, stated that the piling up of executive petitions filed by the land losers in various courts in the district was due to non-payment of compensation even after passing the awards by the land acquisition officers on the ground of non-availability of funds.

The burden of work has been increasing day by day on the lower courts due to piling up of EPs, he added. During hearing, the bench found fault with both the state governments for their failure to implement the awards passed by the trial courts enhancing the compensation. The court adjourned the case by four weeks.