Create 'Escrow' account & deposit `700 cr raised from Kokapet lands auction: TS High Court

Hyderabad: On Wednesday, the Division Bench of the Telangana High Court headed by Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy made it clear that till the Telangana government submits the High Powered Committee report, which was constituted by it vide GO No 839 dated 7-12-2016 to examine GO Ms No 111 dated 8-3-1996, till then, the government cannot touch a pie out of Rs 700 crore, which it got from the recently held Kokapet lands (Acs.49-94) auction as EMD. Further, the Chief Justice Court directed the Telangana government and the HMDA to inform the steps taken by the civic authority in creating arrangements on Kokapet lands prior to the auctioning viz., sewage treatment plants, stormwater infrastructure, roads, electricity, drinking water before the auction of Kokapet lands. The Division Bench was furious on the non-submission of the report by the High Powered Committee, which was constituted by the Telangana government to study GO 111, which prohibits constructions within the catchment area of Osman Sagar lake and further found serious fault on the double standard approach adopted by the government in according permissions to the land purchasers in Kokapet, which is just 700 meters away from the full tank level of Osman Sagar lake and restraining constructions on the lands which are 3½ kilometres from the Osman Sagar lake citing GO 111.

Additional AG J Ramchander Rao sought time till Monday (30-8-2021) to get clear instructions from the State government on the High Powered Committee report, which has not yet submitted its report till today and assured the Court that he will request the committee to submit its report and prayed the Court to believe his pleadings. The case was adjourned to Thursday for further hearing.