Hyderabad: The Telangana high court on Tuesday expressed concern over official apathy in disbursing compensation to a 74-year-old whose land was acquired 15 years ago for the Mid Manair project in Rajanna Sircilla district, and over the failure of top revenue officers to appear before the court in a contempt case.On Tuesday, Justice NV Shravan Kumar took exception to the conduct of Navin Mittal, principal secretary of revenue (land acquisition) department, and Sandeep Kumar Jha, district collector, for failing to comply with a court order.
The proceedings highlighted a delay for the petitioner, a senior citizen whose lands were already submerged, rendering the scope for filing objections effectively moot. While the govt suggested a “consent award” process that could be completed within 60 days, the petitioner’s counsel informed the court that the elderly claimant was not interested in participating in such a process given the long-standing delay and the current state of the property.Taking into account the petitioner’s advanced age and the surrounding circumstances of the case, the court directed the respondents to bypass further negotiations and pass a ‘General Award’ within a strict eight-week timeline.
