The ambitious programme of Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government to construct 50,000-odd houses for the poor under Navarathalu-Pedalandariki Illu scheme in the controversial R-5 zone (residential zone) of Amaravati capital region, will have to wait for a few more months.
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain the state government’s special leave petition seeking an urgent stay on the interim orders issued by the state high court, which stalled the construction of houses for economically weaker sections.
A division bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Sanjeev Khanna said there was no urgency in taking a decision on the issue.
“The case has to be studied deeper, as the construction of houses involves expenditure of more than Rs 1,000 crore of government money. There is no hurry to stay the high court orders,” Justice Khanna said.
Senior counsel for the Jagan government Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the government was seeking an emergency stay on the high court order, as it was constructing houses which were sanctioned by the Central government.
“The plots were already distributed among the beneficiaries as per the earlier directions of the Supreme Court and the government has taken up construction of houses in these plots,” he said.
The Supreme Court bench, however, said it would issue notices to the Amaravati farmers to file their counter within three weeks.
“The government can file its rejoinder within another three weeks after the respondents file their counter,” the bench said and deferred the hearing on the case to November.
The court will list the case at an appropriate date in November, only after going through the counter filed by the farmers and the rejoinder by the government.
On August 3, the Andhra Pradesh high court stalled the construction of houses for the EWS from other parts of the state in the residential zone (R-5) of Amaravati, which was proposed to be developed by the previous Telugu Desam Party government as a world-class capital city of the state.
A three-member bench of the high court comprising Justices D V S S Somayajulu, Cheekati Manavendranath Roy and Ravi Nath Tilhari was hearing a petition filed by the Amaravati farmers, who questioned the government’s move to change the original masterplan of Amaravati for construction of the housing project.
The high court said the issue of Amaravati capital was pending hearing in the Supreme Court and hence, allotment of land for the housing scheme for the poor was subject to the outcome of the Supreme Court judgement. It said if the judgement went against the government, it would lead to wastage of enormous amount of the public funds.
The state government on August 8 filed an SLP in the Supreme Court challenging the interim orders of the state high court.
