HC stays Telangana’s notification to acquire land at Lagacharla, Hakimpet villages for multi-purpose industrial park

The Telangana High Court, on Thursday, stayed the State government’s notification for acquiring nearly 450 acres of land at Lagacharla and Hakimpet villages in Vikarabad district to set up a multi-purpose industrial park.

Justice J. Sreenivas Rao of the HC, who heard two separately filed writ petitions challenging the notification, issued notices to top officials of different departments, including Principal Secretary – Land Acquisition (Revenue department). He directed the authorities to file their detailed responses over the proposed land acquisition. While one petition was filed by a single farmer, Kummari Shiva Kumar of Hakimpet village, the other was by 15 farmers of Lagacharla village.

The government wanted to acquire 351 acres of land in Hakimpet and 110 acres in Lagacharla. Former advocate general and senior counsel B.S. Prasad and senior counsel V. Raghunath, appearing for the petitioners, vehemently opposed the government’s attempt to acquire the lands. They informed the Bench that people who are likely to lose land due to the acquisition met the District Collector and expressed their reluctance. However, the authorities were hell-bent on taking the lands from the petitioners, they said.

According to them, the government can acquire land under Section 10 (A) of the Land Acquisition Act for projects involving national security, defence or irrigation projects. The proposed ‘multi-purpose industrial park’ did not fall in any of the said categories, the lawyers said.

The government did not follow the procedures of the land acquisition like conducting social impact assessment, receiving objections from the land owners, payment of compensation to the persons losing the land as per the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013.

Special Government Pleader Rahul Reddy informed the Bench that the land would be utilised for setting up an industrial park for the overall growth of the surrounding areas.

The hearing was adjourned to March 21.