Pharma City plan suffers a setback by Hyderabad High Court

Hyderabad: In another setback to the Telangana government that's eager to procure land for developmental projects, the Hyderabad High Court has stayed the GO Ms No 45 issued on July 22 last year to procure land for the proposed Green Pharma City project at Kurmidda of Yacharam Mandal in Ranga Reddy district.

Justice MS Ramachandra Rao granted the interim stay while dealing with a petition by Tellamalla Begari Venkataiah and eight others challenging the GO.

The petitioners told the court they were poor farmers and occupying lands assigned in the past by the governments for the landless poor. The GO issued by the present government ordering them to hand over the lands to the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation for establishment of pharma project, they said.

The farmers said if their lands were acquired through the Land Acquisition Act 2013, the state government would have to pay them adequate compensation. They contended that as per the provisions of the Act 2013, the state government would have to acquire the lands through it.

NS Arjun Kumar, counsel for the petitioners, told the court that the authorities have been trying to take away the lands by claiming that their names are not matching with the revenue records and also on the ground that they are not cultivating these lands. While granting the interim stay, the judge issued notices to the respondents.