Two get HC reprieveover NHAI’s bid totake over land parcel

Hyderabad: Justice Kaja Sharath of Telangana high court has directed the NHAI officials not to dispossess till June 14 two land owners from Siddipet and Medak districts who were opposing the way their 23 acres of land was sought to be acquired by the NHAI.
The judge issued notices to the authorities and sought their replies to the grievances expressed by two petitioners G Sriram Reddy of Toopran village in Medak district and Katta Arulappa of Gajwel mandal of Siddipet district.
According to their counsel Gouraram Rajashekar Reddy, the NHAI is acquiring nine acres of land of Sriram in Islampur village for building a RRR inter-junction station on NH-44. Arulappa’s 14 acres at Pamulaparthi in Markook mandal is under acquisition for widening the highway.
According to Rajashekhar, the authorities violated both the National Highways Act and also the 2013 Land Acquisition Act and its August 2015 ‘removal of difficulties’ order.
NHAI counsel Padma Rao Lakiraju argued that the rehabilitation and resettlement part of the Land Acquisition Act need not be applied for national highways projects.
Refuting this, Rajashekhar said Act’s difficulties removal order says that compensation offered by the NHAI should be in tune with the Act.
The judge while allowing the authorities to go ahead with the process, however, directed them not to dispossess the petitioners from their land till June 14.