Telangana HC slams indiscriminate allocation of govt land

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has strongly criticised the indiscriminate allocation and regularisation of government lands, observing that what was once thousands of acres of public land has now dwindled to the point where even space for constructing public toilets is unavailable.

The court remarked that government lands were distributed haphazardly to various parties, including the wealthy, and that encroachments were also regularized, leading to the current scarcity.

During a hearing on Monday, July 7, Justice CV Bhaskar Reddy noted that, “Thousands of acres were once handed over to the government by the Nizam for community and grazing purposes. In those days, land was available for village community needs and for the construction of facilities like public toilets.

However, contrary to Supreme Court judgments that mandate land allocation to eligible poor beneficiaries, the distribution has been discriminatory and irregular, leaving nothing for present needs.”

The observations came in response to a petition filed by MD Khaleel challenging the inaction on his request to allocate six acres in survey numbers 32 and 82 of Antharam village, Dharur mandal, Vikarabad district, for the construction of a hatchery.

The petitioner’s counsel, Mummaneni Srinivasa Rao, argued that an application was submitted to the Collector in 2022 but was not forwarded to the government. He cited guidelines under GO 571 for land allocation to government and private institutions and requested the court to direct action on the petition.

Justice Bhaskar Reddy questioned the basis on which land should be allocated and asked the petitioner to explain how the hatchery would benefit the public.

The judge stated that no orders could be issued without first seeking the government’s explanation and adjourned the hearing to July 22.