HYDERABAD: In a significant conclusion to a 17-year long legal dispute, the Telangana High Court has mandated the state government to allocate 2BHK homes to families displaced from the Bhimrao Bada slum in Nampally. This decision brings much-needed relief to residents who allege they were forcibly evicted following the revocation of the area’s slum designation in 2008.
Justice S Chalapathi Rao issued this ruling in January of this year, which has only recently come to public knowledge, while addressing a petition from K Bharati and 70 other residents of Bhimrao Bada.
The court has stipulated that each petitioner must be given accommodation in a 2BHK housing colony located at Kollur in the Patancheru mandal of the Sangareddy district, ensuring that all allotments are made within the same block.
Additionally, the authorities are directed to ensure that essential infrastructure—such as water supply, drainage, and elevators—is in place, with a requirement that the allotment process be finalized within two months of the order’s issuance.
It was also specified that the allocation of houses will occur via a lottery system in the presence of the petitioners’ legal representatives. Family members of deceased petitioners will also be eligible for consideration following appropriate validation.
The court emphasized that homes allocated in exchange for D-form pattas issued in Bhimrao Bada cannot be sold for five years post-allocation.
In their argument, petitioners informed the court that the region was officially designated a slum in 1991 and that residents received D-form pattas along with basic civic amenities. They highlighted that families have lived on the 1,153 square meter plot for nearly 80 years.
The contention arose when the government, via GO No. 251 issued in 2008, retracted the slum status and began relocating residents to Afzal Sagar. The affected residents challenged this decision in high court, claiming they were evicted and their homes demolished without due legal process.
As part of the court proceedings, an advocate commissioner conducted a site inspection and reported that the structures in the slum had been completely demolished. The report included complaints from several displaced residents encountered during the inspection.
Government representatives defended the relocation initiative, arguing that moving to Afzal Sagar was intended to provide improved facilities for residents. They informed the court that the state was now prepared to allocate 2BHK homes to the affected families.
The court has appointed the Hyderabad district collector to supervise the entire allocation process, requiring a comprehensive compliance report to be submitted to the high court’s registrar upon conclusion.
