The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District Collector to conduct survey of all lands belonging to government in the district within a month.
A Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili issued the direction, after hearing a PIL petition seeking a direction to district authorities to protect government lands, which were allegedly being encroached upon by private parties. The Bench, while instructing the Collector to ensure no government land was illegally occupied by private persons, wanted a report on the matter in a month.
The Collector would have to appear before the HC if he failed to comply with the court direction and explain for failing to enforce the directions, the Bench said.
A farmer, B. Sathi Reddy of Nalgonda district, filed the PIL petition stating that nearly 768 acres of government land were being encroached upon by land sharks in survey nos. 208 and 312 of Ramlingampalli village in Bommalaramaram mandal of the district.
The petition requested the HC to declare failure of authorities to protect government lands as illegal and arbitrary. Mr. Reddy wanted the court to direct the officials to dispossess the illegal occupiers of government land.
Special Government pleader Radhiv informed the bench that already the State government had issued notices to the persons who had occupied the lands. He told the court that the Collector would require four months of time to complete survey of all government lands.
During the previous hearing in August last year, the then division bench instructed the Collector to initiate steps to survey government lands in the district and prepare digital maps of the lands. “It is the responsibility of the State government to secure its land and it does not need to be pushed and prodded by the court to do so,” the Bench noted in the previous order.
