THE HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE R.SUBHASH REDDY WRIT PETITION No.17819 of 2006 ORDER: In this writ petition, petitioners seek directions by way of mandamus to the respondents to pay compensation amount to them at the market rate with regard to their wetland admeasuring Acs.3.23 guntas covered by Survey Nos.19 and 20 situated at Chanchala Village, Charminar Mandal, Hyderabad District. It is the case of the petitioners that they are owners of the aforesaid piece of land, which was acquired for the purpose of providing house-sites to weaker sections on the requisition sent by the District Social Welfare Officer, Land Acquisition, Hyderabad. It is their grievance that they have filed claim petition. In spite of the same, there is no enquiry conducted on it for award of compensation for the aforesaid piece of land acquired through acquisition proceedings bearing No.E3/20219/75, dated 30.10.1975. They relied on a letter bearing Rc.No.E/1580/75, dated 29.10.1975, a perusal of which shows that it is addressed by the Social Welfare Department to the District Collector, Hyderabad, submitting proposal for draft notification under Section 4(1) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (for short ‘the Act’) and draft declaration under Section 6 of the Act for approval and publication in the Gazette. A detailed counter-affidavit is filed by the second respondent - Tahsildar, Charminar Mandal, Hyderabad District. In the said counter-affidavit, while denying various allegations made by the petitioners, it is stated that in fact, the land acquisition proceedings were not at all initiated but however, the Deputy Director of Social Welfare, Hyderabad, dropped them at the initial stage itself and that there was a publication for the aforesaid piece of land vide gazette notification bearing No.34, dated 24.08.1989, under Section 3(1) of the Andhra Pradesh Slum Improvement (Acquisition of Land) Act, 1956. It is further stated that there is no record to substantiate the claim that father of petitioners 1, 3, 4 and 5 was the owner of the said property. In page 3, it is clearly stated that there is no record to show that notification under Section 4(1) of the Act was issued for acquiring the said land. It is also stated that the said land is in possession of various persons for more than 50 years and the same is known as Ganganagar, as such, no allotment was made for any beneficiary for house-sites as pleaded by the petitioners. It appears, there was a requisition for notifying the land for acquisition but the respondents have not notified the same under the provisions of the Act. The letter, dated 29.10.1975, relied on by the petitioners is only a communication sent by the Social Welfare Department to the District Collector, Hyderabad, for approval and publication of notification under Section 4(1) and declaration under Section 6 of the Act. But, it is clear from the counter-affidavit that no notification was issued for acquiring the land in question, as such, no direction can be given to the respondents for payment of compensation to the petitioners with regard to the land in question at the market value as prayed for by them. In that view of the matter, I do not find any merit in this writ petition. For the aforesaid reasons, the writ petition is dismissed. No order as to costs. ______________________ R.SUBHASH REDDY, J 29th OCTOBER, 2010. kvni