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New Indian Express

State govt has no land even for public toilets: Telangana High Court

HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Monday made sharp observations about the lack of government land availability, despite once holding thousands of acres. The court remarked that the indiscriminate allocation of government land over the years has led to a situation where even space for the construction of public toilets is not available now. Justice C V Bhaskar Reddy, while hearing a petition filed by one MD Khaleel, commented that government land had been allocated arbitrarily, favouring the affluent and regularising unauthorised occupations. He observed that vast tracts of land were originally granted by the Nizam's government, including 'gairan' lands meant for grazing goats and sheep, and spaces reserved for community needs such as burial grounds and other requirements. Now, such government land has virtually disappeared, the judge noted. The court cited the Supreme Court's directions, stating that land should be allocated only to eligible individuals as per guidelines. However, in contradiction to these principles, land was allotted to ineligible individuals, and illegal occupations were regularised by successive governments. This led to discriminatory and unplanned distribution of land, leaving nothing for essential public infrastructure today. The petition was filed by Khaleel, who challenged the inaction on his request for the allotment of six acres of land in Survey Nos. 32 and 82 of Antharam village in Darrur mandal, Vikarabad district, for setting up a poultry hatchery. Representing the petitioner, advocate Mummaneni Srinivas Rao argued that the application for land allotment had been submitted to the district collector in 2022 but was not forwarded to the state government for necessary action. He cited GO 571, which outlines the guidelines for land allotment to private entities and requested the court to issue directions accordingly. Justice Bhaskar Reddy questioned the basis on which the land could be allocated and asked the petitioner to clarify how the hatchery project would benefit the public. He stated that no interim orders could be passed without first seeking a response from the government. The matter has been adjourned to July 22 for further hearing after seeking the state government's explanation.