Hyderabad: Hearing a petition filed by Kamareddy farmers opposing the master plan of the proposed industrial zone, the Telangana High Court declined to stay the master plan on Wednesday, instead directing the Telangana government and municipal department to file a counter affidavit by January 25.
Justice C.V Bhaskar Reddy, dealing with a petition filed by 40 farmers of Rameshwarpally village in Kamareddy district who appealed to the court to direct the Telangana government to scrap the master plan of the proposed industrial zone, declined to give a stay.
The farmers filed the petition on Saturday, contending that the draft master plan was prepared without consensus.
Farmers from at least seven villages have been protesting against the Kamareddy district administration and the municipality, opposing the government's plan to take over their fertile farmland for an industrial zone.
When the petitioners’ counsel repeatedly requested status quo orders, Justice Reddy was unwilling to issue any stay or status quo orders to direct the government not to proceed with the procedure. The court stated that it could not issue status quo orders without first hearing from the other party and made it plain that courts must also hear from the opposing party.
The judge observed that master plans prepared for Hyderabad, Warangal, and other cities more than 40 years ago was not implemented.
Further, the judge observed that if the government “did not apply their mind” in issuing the original master plan, the court would undoubtedly interfere to defend the people's rights.
B.S. Prasad, Telangana advocate general (AG), told the court that the case brought by the farmers is premature because the authorities have only issued a draft notification and are hearing public objections to the draft plan.
Further actions will be taken after evaluating the objections voiced by farmers, according to the AG’s submission to the court.
