The Telangana Government has placed before the Hyderabad High Court a new rehabilitation policy for the landless poor who are likely to be affected by the acquisition of land by the government under GO 123, sans any offer of employment and linkage of annuity policies with appropriate indexation to the Consumer Price index (CPI) for agriculture labourers. On Thursday, the HC bench was not impressed with this new GO and adjourned the case to next Tuesday without giving any green signal for purchase of land from willing land owners.
The bench was dealing with a writ plea filed by the Telangana Government challenging the single judge judgment. The single judge had quashed the GO123 in a writ petition filed by A.Tukkamma and 21other agricultural labourers of Bardipur, Jarasnagham Mandal, Medak district. The petitioners were affected by the land acquisition for the proposed National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ).
On Tuesday, the bench had perused the offer made by the government and suspended the judgment of single judge. The bench added a rider that there will be no registrations till the court is satisfied that the proposed rehabilitation policy through a GO fulfils all the requirements of second schedule of new land acquisition Act of 2013.
On Thursday, K. Rama Krishna Reddy, advocate general of Telangana produced a copy of GO 190 issued on Wednesday. It had repeated the offers made on Monday through affidavit. The counsel for the agricultural labourers pointed out that offer of employment and annuity policies with appropriate indexation to the CPI were not found.
The concept of joint family was introduced and whole GO is vague and not in conformity with the second schedule of Act 30 of 2013. The bench asked the Advocate General to explain this. The court was told that it is difficult to offer employment as the investors will be foreign companies and no investor may come to NIMZ if this is insisted. The bench reminded that when industries are invited to come, such provisions for local employment is put. The counsel for the agricultural labourers said that the national policy for NIMZ specifies skill building for agricultural labourers entering the new field. The bench adjourned the case to Tuesday for further arguments. The stay on registrations in favour of the government will continue.
