No development in irrigation projects

     Written by : SMTV24x7 | Fri, Jan 06, 2017, 01:15 PM

No development in irrigation projects

Hyderabad, January 9 : Telangana government has no impact on the irrigation and infrastructure projects against the backdrop of the high court's interim order staying future acquisition of land under the government notification.

"The land so far acquired under the G.O.123 was not abolished. We can go ahead with ongoing projects already in the acquired land. The high court's interim order is not a setback to the state government," Shailendra Kumar Joshi, special chief secretary of the irrigation department said.

The HC has however allowed the state government to go ahead and acquire land following the provisions of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act. The irrigation Minister has already announced that farmers can avail of two options while parting with land: either under G.O.123 (or) as per the provisions of the Centre's 2013 land acquisition Act.

The state government has already passed a new land acquisition Act in the Assembly which is likely to reach the President on Friday. "Once the act is cleared by the President, then we can go ahead with the land acquisition based on the new Act," said government sources.

The controversial Mallanna Sagar project on which the litigation is going on is designed to store 51,000 million cubic feet of water and to irrigate 12 lakh acres in the drought-prone Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Warangal and Ranga Reddy.

The government has proposed to acquire over 50,000 acres for projects like Mallanna Sagar reservoir, National Investment and Manufacturing Zone, increase in the height of Ghanapur anicut and Mission Bhagiratha. While nearly 14 villages in Medak are set to get affected with the submergence of Mallanna Sagar, farmers in 8 villages have already agreed to give their land.

Telangana Joint Action Committee chairman M. Kodhandaram welcomed the stay granted by the HC on the G.O. 123.

Kodandaram said that state government should work within the framework of the central Act which safeguards the interests of riots and whose land is acquired by the government for projects. "In the light of the interim order of the high court, we have no plans for any dharna or agitation," Kodandaram said.