The Telangana High Court on Monday quashed the allocation of 15 acres of government land in Hyderabad to a foundation led by B Partha Saradhi Reddy, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MP and Hetero Group Chairman. According to an IANS report, a two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan set aside the Government Order (GO) issued in 2018 to allot the prime land in Khanamet near Gachibowli to Sai Sindhu Foundation Trust for building a cancer hospital.
In response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Urmila Pingle, Suresh Kumar, and others, the Telangana High Court delivered its verdict. Under GO 59 dated March 22, 2018, the land was allotted to the Foundation for a nominal lease of Rs 1.47 lakh per year for a period of 33 years for the construction of a hospital to treat cancer and other diseases.
READ | Telangana Govt Spending Rs 12,000 Crore Per Annum To Provide Free Electricity To Farmers: CM KCR
The petitioners raised objections to the allocation of valuable land worth more than Rs 500 crore for a significantly low lease amount. They further contended that the chairman of the Sai Sindhu Foundation is facing money laundering charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The petitioners presented a District Collector's report to the court, stating that the land's market value is Rs 75,000 per square yard, totalling over Rs 500 crore, whereas the annual lease amount is only Rs 50 crore.
The government, on the other hand, justified the allocation of the land. Advocate General B.S. Prasad argued before the court that the economic aspect should not be the sole consideration in this case, as fatalities due to cancer are now the second-highest in the country, only behind heart attacks. He also pointed out that the chairperson of the Sai Sindhu Foundation serves as the CEO of Hetero Group.
ALSO READ | World Environment Day: Telangana Takes Top Spot In Environmental Performance, Minister KTR Lauds Efforts