WE HAVE POWER TO BUY LAND: TS

Defending the procurement of lands through GO 123 before the Hyderabad High Court, the TS government on Friday contended that it has the power to procure or purchase lands for public purpose in accordance with Article 298 of the Constitution. It said that the Article empowers the state to carry on trade or business and to acquire, hold and dispose of property and make contracts for any purpose.

TS advocate-general K. Ramakrishna Reddy was advancing the arguments on behalf of the government before a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice U. Durga Prasad Rao.

The bench was dealing with batch of petitions by landowners and farmers of Medak district challenging the government procuring lands through GO 123 for the proposed Mallannasagar irrigation project.

When counsels Rammohan Reddy, N.S. Arjun and B. Rachana Reddy, appearing for the petitioners, complained that officials forcibly took over lands of the farmers, the bench cautioned that if the allegations were true, it would issue a judicial order restraining the government from procuring the lands. The bench reminded that the government had already assured the court that it will not register the land purchased through GO 123 for the Mallannasagar project.

The A-G told the court there was no force in purchasing the lands. He said that the ultimate objective of GO 123 was that it prescribes the procedure for the state on how to procure land for projects like Mallannasagar.

Ms Rachana Reddy, terming the GO as vague, said that it was a diabolical fraud on the people. She said that the state government was coercing and misguiding the farmers without placing the detailed project report on public domain.