Hyderabad Pharma City project still on, State govt tells Telangana High Court

The Revanth Reddy government, reaffirmed before the court its commitment to the Pharma City project, despite ongoing legal challenges from local farmers.

By Legal Correspondent

Hyderabad: Contrary to its earlier statement that the Pharma City project initiated by the previous BRS government was scrapped, the Congress government on Monday told the High Court that the project was still on.

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The Revanth Reddy government, in fact, reaffirmed before the court its commitment to the Pharma City project, despite ongoing legal challenges from local farmers. Advocate General A. Sudarshan Reddy announced that the project, initiated under the previous BRS administration through GO 31, remains intact.

Justice K. Lakshman presided over a series of writ petitions and contempt cases brought forth by approximately 150 petitioners from the villages of Medipally, Nanaknagar and Kurmida. These farmers had contested the government’s land acquisition efforts, successfully obtaining court orders to set aside the acquisition awards in Medipally and Kurmida, while acquisition proceedings in Nanaknagar were stayed. The core issue raised by the petitioners centred on the government’s continued inclusion of their lands in a prohibition list, which has barred them from accessing various benefits, including the Rythu Bandhu scheme, crop loans, and the ability to conduct transactions on their properties.

The Advocate General asserted that the government stands in favor of farmers and plans to negotiate fair compensation for those affected. He assured the court that Rythu Bandhu benefits would be disbursed alongside the compensation. However, the petitioners’ counsel criticized this approach, arguing that Rythu Bandhu was essential for seasonal agricultural investments and should not be delayed. He highlighted that the farmers had endured the fallout from unsuccessful land acquisition attempts for the last seven years.

While some petitioners started receiving Rythu Bandhu benefits following the filing of contempt cases, the counsel emphasized that not all affected farmers were accounted for. Justice Lakshman requested the petitioners’ counsel to provide detailed information on which individuals were receiving benefits and which were not. He also instructed the petitioners to submit their representations to the relevant authorities within a week, with a directive for a response within two weeks.

The court also ordered the government to file an affidavit outlining the negotiations held with the villagers and the steps taken to address their grievances. The matter has been scheduled for further hearings in four weeks.