The Kadiri civil court has auctioned Nallacheruvu Tahsildar’s office building in the district for the failure of the Revenue Department in paying ₹1.35-lakh compensation to two farmers in the land acquisition process. The auction, which was conducted under the supervision of Senior Civil Judge Ramanayya on Wednesday, fetched ₹10.25 lakh despite the efforts of the revenue officials to stall the process.
Kadiri Revenue Divisional Officer M. Ram Mohan told The Hindu on Thursday that the compensation could not be paid to the farmers due to procedural lapses. “The Revenue Department will deposit the compensation amount in the court through a demand draft which is being readied and appeal made in the Kadiri Civil Judge’s court to annul the auction process by accepting the compensation amount of ₹1,34,218.”
The department had acquired 1.20 acres of land at Pallevandlapalli of Nallacheruvu mandal for sanction of house pattas to the poor in 1987 and fixed ₹10,000 per acre as compensation, but paid only ₹3,000 to two farmers -- Rami Reddy and Narasimha Reddy. Despite their attempts, they could not get the remaining amount and they approached the Kadiri civil court in 1988.
In 2005, the court ordered payment of a compensation of ₹18,000 per acre along with interest, but the department moved the High Court in 2010. The High Court confirmed the lower court’s order and asked the government to pay the amount. When the department did not make the payment, the aggrieved farmers approached the lower court again and this time it attached the Tehsildar’s office property asking it to pay the amount.
Rami Reddy, meanwhile expired in 2013, but his heirs Palle Narasimha Reddy and others continued the fight and sought payment of compensation with interest by auctioning the Tehsildar’s office. The court on October 27 this year issued an order fixing auction date as November 14.
Highest bidder
While six persons participated in the auction, former chairman of Marketyard Dasaratha Ramayya Naidu quoted the highest price of ₹10.25 lakh. With this, the compensation amount to the farmers’ descendants would be paid and the remaining amount be deposited in the government treasury if the Revenue Department’s appeal in the court, after payment of compensation amount, is not settled in favour of the department.
