In a significant development regarding the ongoing demolition drive on Bhoodan lands in Velugumatla village of Khammam district, the Telangana High Court has declined interim relief against the process. Justice B Vijaysen Reddy, hearing petitions by displaced families, directed the state government to file a counter and postponed the matter until April 15.
The government presented evidence that several petitioners had been identified for house sites and sanctioned benefits under the Indiramma Indlu scheme. However, five claims were rejected as the applicants already owned houses, while others remain under scrutiny. It was also stated by the government that some of the petitioners were not among those whose houses were demolished during the drive.
According to the state government, 311 pattas have been issued, and 101 beneficiaries have received housing sanctions. The court acknowledged a clerical error in citing a government order and corrected it accordingly. Petitioners argued that the land falls under Bhoodan and that only the Secretary of the Bhoodan Board can issue pattas. They also questioned the validity of allotments under the 1977 Act.
Some affected families, however, have accepted alternative plots, and the court noted it would not be appropriate to stall the process at this stage. The matter will be taken up again on April 15, when the state government is expected to present its counterarguments in response to the petitioners’ claims.
