Hyderabad: Telangana high court on Wednesday declined to grant interim relief or stay the ongoing large-scale demolition and rehabilitation exercise at Bhoodan lands in Velugumatla village of Khammam district, observing that any such intervention at this stage could adversely affect numerous eligible poor beneficiaries.Justice B Vijaysen Reddy passed the order while hearing petitions filed by displaced families who lost their homes during the demolition drive carried out on Feb 24. The court directed the state govt to file a detailed counter-affidavit and posted the matter for further hearing on April 15. During the proceedings, the govt pleader for revenue submitted written instructions outlining the status of the petitioners. The court was informed that several affected individuals had already been identified and approved for house site allotments, along with sanctions under the Indiramma housing scheme. However, the applications of five petitioners were rejected on the grounds that they already own houses. The claims of the remaining petitioners are still under consideration, though the govt noted that their names did not appear in the list of those whose houses were demolished. The govt pleader further informed the court that authorities had granted 311 pattas to individuals affected by the demolition drive, of which 101 beneficiaries have received sanctions under the Indiramma Indlu programme. On the other hand, counsel for the petitioners argued that the land in question constitutes Bhoodan land, contending that only the secretary of the Bhoodan board is legally empowered to issue pattas for such properties. They also challenged the validity of the current allotments, asserting that pattas issued under the Telangana Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfers) Act, 1977, are not legally sustainable in this context. Error in patta issuanceResponding to these concerns, the govt pleader acknowledged a clerical error in the initial issuance of pattas, wherein an incorrect GO was cited, and assured the court that necessary corrections have since been carried out. After hearing both sides, the court observed that while the petitioners have questioned the entire allotment process undertaken by the revenue department, some among them have already agreed to accept the allotted plots. Noting that allotments have been made to several beneficiaries and others remain under consideration, the court held that staying the process at this stage would not be in the interest of justice and adjourned the matter.
