Hyderabad: In relief to families displaced by the Karimnagar-Warangal national highway widening (NH-563) project, Telangana high court has directed authorities to consider their claims for rehabilitation and resettlement benefits within eight weeks.The appellants, including farmers from Elkathurthy in Hanumakonda district, approached the court after their houses were demolished following an earlier legal setback. Though they had already received compensation for land and structures, they sought additional benefits under the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) scheme of the Central Land Acquisition Act, 2013. Disposing of the appeal, a bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin held that although the land was acquired under the National Highways Act, the affected families were legally entitled to R&R benefits provided under the 2013 Act. Delivering the verdict on April 16, the court also said that since the houses had already been demolished, the appellants were free to seek directions from the authorities for temporary shelter while their claims were under consideration. The bench set aside an earlier single judge order directing the petitioners to approach an arbitrator, observing that such a step would arise only after an initial award is passed. Representation to RDOReferring to the appellants’ submission that they were ‘on the road’ after the sudden demolition of their houses when an earlier stay order expired, the court granted them liberty to submit fresh representations to the revenue divisional officer, Hanumakonda. Further, the National Highways Authority of India admitted that the earlier denial of these benefits could not withstand legal scrutiny, paving the way for the displaced families to seek both compensation and resettlement support.
