NOB_Hyderabad : Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday directed District Collectors and Irrigation officials to ensure immediate disbursal of Rs 813 crore pending land acquisition compensation to farmers, warning that funds should not remain parked in government accounts.
Reviewing the progress of land acquisition through video conference, the Minister expressed concern that the amount was lying idle in accounts of District Collectors, Revenue Divisional Officers and Special Deputy Collectors while irrigation projects were held up.
The review was attended by Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju, Secretary to Chief Minister Manik Raj, Finance Secretary Sandeep Sultania, Commissioner for Land Acquisition Siva Kumar Naidu and District Collectors.
Officials informed that since April 1, tokens worth about Rs 3,101 crore had been submitted and around Rs 2,504 crore released towards land acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement. Of the pending Rs 813 crore, about Rs 502 crore was with Land Acquisition Officers and Rs 311 crore with Collectors.
“If the money has been released, it must reach the land-losing farmers. If for any genuine reason it cannot be disbursed, explain the reason and return the money instead of keeping it idle,” Uttam Kumar Reddy told Collectors, asking them to personally intervene to speed up negotiations, awards and payments.
The Minister recalled that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had committed Rs 6,000 crore during 2026 for land acquisition, R&R and forest-related requirements of irrigation projects, arranged outside the regular irrigation budget to fast-track priority projects.
He directed that tokens should be raised only after awards were passed and cases were ready for payment. He also stressed a humane approach, stating that compensation should be as close as reasonably possible to prevailing market values within the legal framework. Where payment was delayed after award, statutory interest must be paid.
For cases stuck in court or title disputes, he ordered compilation of all pending cases to be taken up with the Advocate General.
The Minister examined bottlenecks in Nalgonda, Yadadri-Bhongir, Narayanpet, Siddipet, Vikarabad, Jagtial and Hanumakonda districts. In Nalgonda, he reviewed delays in Chintapalli reservoir, Pendlipaka balancing reservoir, Udayasamudram and Nellikallu works, noting that completion of the Pendlipaka reservoir was crucial to deriving benefits from the SLBC tunnel.
Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju also stressed prudent financial management, advising Collectors to seek funds only when cases were ready for payment.
