Telangana govt reply sought on heritage land auction in Raidurg | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: Telangana high court has directed the state govt to file counters in a petition challenging an e-auction notification, issued by Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TGIIC), for selling two land parcels measuring around 10 acres in Raidurg Panmaktha village in Rangareddy district, classified as a heritage precinct.The petitioner, Ravindranath Soory, contended that the land, located near Durgam Cheruvu and proposed to be auctioned, was classified and recorded as a heritage precinct by a 2003 govt order (GO), and that the auction was contrary to the GO and earlier reports of technical committees that had recommended preservation of the heritage features, including rock formations in the area.The petitioner sought a stay on further proceedings of the e-auction notification pending disposal of the petition and a direction restraining TGIIC from confirming any bid or creating third-party rights over the land.Additional advocate general T Rajnikanth Reddy appeared for TGIIC.According to the petitioner, the authorities had earlier constituted technical committees to examine the issue. A 2013 committee and a fresh technical committee in Jan 2026 identified areas in survey number 83/1 that required preservation and recommended measures for protecting the rock formations.Senior counsel V Hariharan, appearing for the petitioner, contended that a subsequent technical committee report was inconsistent with the earlier recommendations and was being relied upon to facilitate the sale of land covering heritage precincts.“Moreover, the proposed auction could cause irreversible damage to the heritage features and that the state and its authorities had a duty to protect such public heritage,” he argued.He further contended that govt action violated the public trust doctrine and constitutional protections relating to the environment and heritage.Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka directed that counters be filed in the matter, and posted the matter to Aug 20.