Hyderabad City: The Telangana High Court on Friday gave a final opportunity to the principal secretary, revenue, to inform the court whether the state government intended to go ahead with the proposal for the pharma city in Yacharam mandal of Rangareddy district. If the government withdrew the proposal, what would it do with the land it had acquired from the farmers?, the court asked.
The Chief Revenue Secretary is required to submit the details to the court by September 20.
Justice K. Lakshman of the Telangana High Court was hearing a petition filed by farmers of Medipally of Yacharam mandal, who complained that revenue authorities were creating impediments to accessing their land.
In 2023, the High Court had issued orders quashing the notification issued for land acquisition for the pharma city. Despite this, the owners claimed, the authorities were not allowing them to enter the land details in the revenue records and thus depriving them of access to agricultural inputs and credit support as well as full ownership rights.
The petitioners' counsel Ch. Ravi Kumar on Friday produced before the court the press statements of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy stating that the Pharma City would not be set up. He also showed the election manifesto of the Congress, which promised to scrap the BRS government's Pharma City scheme.
Special adviser to the government Adepu Divya said officials had instructed her that a life sciences park would be set up in place of Pharma City. The court directed the principal secretary, revenue, to present the position in the counter affidavit.