HC proposes escrow account to deposit Kokapet land auction money

State government should not use a single rupee of the ₹700 crore accrued through auction till it furnishes report of High Power Committee on GO 111, says court

Telangana High Court on Wednesday said the State government should not use a single rupee of the ₹700 crore accrued through auction of lands in Kokapet till it furnishes the report of the High Power Committee (HPC) on GO 111. Hearing a batch of petitions on matters relating to GO 111 which prohibited constructions on the catchment area of Himyatsagar and Osmansgar lakes, the HC said the State government should create an escrow account and deposit the money secured through auction of Kokapet lands. A bench of Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy had been hearing the batch of pleas consecutively for the past three days. The bench also sought to know what efforts the government was making to create facilities like sewerage treatment plant, sewage lines and drinking water at the lands in Kokapet. The lands were auctioned and permissions were likely to be given for erecting structures there. “This court would ensure the government stayed its hands off the money secured through auction of Kokapet lands ...till you demonstrate that you have created all the works cited,” the CJ observed. The bench took an exception to the HPC not presenting its report on GO 111 even four years after its constitution. Additional Advocate General J. Ramchander Rao, while admitting that there was delay in HPC presenting its report, assured the court that the present State government would expedite the matter. Within a month, all required procedures relating to GO 111 would be finalised, he said.