High Court pulls up Telugu States for not paying relief to farmers

Hyderabad: The High Court at Hyderabad has directed both the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state governments to explain as to why they were not paying compensation to farmers in whose lands they were erecting power transmission lines. 

Issuing notices to the Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries of Energy departments and MDs of Transmission Corporations, the court directed them to place before it all details regarding payment of compensation.

The division bench, comprising of Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice Ramesh Ranganathan, gave these directions on Friday while hearing a PIL petition initiated by the court based on two letters written to the Chief Justice highlighting the plight of farmers losing land for these electric power transmission lines.  

A regional daily report about how a contractor strung a farmer opposing laying of these lines was also annexed with these letters. The letters pointed out how provisions of Electricity Act 2003 were being violated while laying these lines. 

The farmers despite entitled for compensation, were being denied that by the Corporations and the governments. The bench granted three weeks time to the Respondents to file their detailed counter affidavits and adjourned the case.