Telangana HC issues notices in Congress MLAs' plea against land ‘encroachment' in Rangareddy district
The bench asked the petitioners to serve notices on the Revenue Department, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA), Pollution Control Board, Telangana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (TGRERA), and others and posted the matter after two weeks.
A two-judge bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara is dealing with the PIL challenging a series of actions that they claim illegally transferred over 27 acres of government land in Survey No. 27 of Khajaguda village in Rangareddy's Serilingampally mandal to private entities. This land was originally classified as 'poramboke' (non-assigned government land) in official records dating back to the 1950s.
MLAs J Anirudh Reddy, Y Srinivas Reddy, Dr Murali Naik Bhukya, and Dr K K Rajesh Reddy claimed there was a failure on the part of the municipal authorities to protect a part of a lake in Khajaguda. They claim that the said government land is worth more than Rs 2,000 crore.
They alleged that several revenue and municipal officials colluded with private entities to transfer the land illegally, and, in turn, transferred it to Beverly Hills Owners Welfare Society in 2023 and unlawfully permitted construction of eight luxury towers of about 47 floors on prime state land that was originally classified as 'poramboke' since the 1950s. According to the petition, the land includes the full tank level area of Khajaguda Lake, and a ready-mix plant to prepare building construction materials is also established here.
The counsel for the petitioners, Chikkudu Prabhakar, argued that the officials' actions were illegal, arbitrary, and in violation of various municipal and environmental laws. The counsel prayed for the bench to appoint a sitting judge of the High Court to conduct an inquiry into the matter of transferring the government land. He also sought to direct the state government to stop the construction, immediately take over the 27.18 guntas of land, reverse these alleged illegal actions, and restore the land to state ownership.
The counsel also alleged that the former district collector of Rangareddy misused the Dharani Portal to transfer government lands, including Bhoodan lands and other valuable properties in GHMC and HMDA areas, to private individuals. The counsel also cited various news articles in a prominent Telugu daily to suggest that the land indeed belonged to the state government.
Rahul V Pisharody is an Assistant Editor with the Indian Express Online and has been reporting from Telangana on various issues since 2019. Besides a focused approach to big news developments, Rahul has a keen interest in stories about Hyderabad and its inhabitants and looks out for interesting features on the city's heritage, environment, history culture etc. His articles are straightforward and simple reads in sync with the context.
Rahul started his career as a journalist in 2011 with The New Indian Express and worked in different roles at the Hyderabad bureau for over 8 years. As Deputy Metro Editor, he was in charge of the Hyderabad bureau of the newspaper and coordinated with the team of district correspondents, centres and internet desk for over three years.
A native of Palakkad in Kerala, Rahul has a Master's degree in Communication (Print and New Media) from the University of Hyderabad and a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore. Long motorcycle rides and travel photography are among his other interests. ... Read More
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