THE HON’BLE MR JUSTICE L. NARASIMHA REDDY Writ Petition No.24067 of 2008 ORDER: The petitioners claim that they have been granted pattas over small extents of land in Sy.No.202/2E, of Achampet Village, Sankhavaram Mandal, East-Godavari District, in the year 1999. They state that the Special Deputy Collector, (Land Acquisition), of Pushkara Lift Irrigation Scheme-II, Peddapuram, the 2nd respondent herein, had planted stones over their land, for the purpose of undertaking excavation of canals. It is represented that, on repeated demands being made to the 2nd respondent, for payment of exgratia, he made an endorsement dated 14-08-2008, stating that the land is part of reserve forest, and that the petitioners are entitled to be paid compensation. The same is challenged in this writ petition. The petitioners have ﬁled copies of pattas, said to have been granted to them, on 08-09-1998, over small extents of land in Sy.No.202/2E, by the Mandal Revenue Oﬃcer, Sankavaram, the predecessors of the 3rd respondent. If the pattas were granted over revenue lands, and the land is said to be put to public purpose, the petitioners deserve to be paid exgratia, and, on the other hand, if the land claimed by the petitioners is part of reserve forest, the question of payment of exgratia does not arise. This disputed question, however, can be resolved only if the District Collector, the 1st respondent herein, deputes an oﬃcer of his department, to coordinate with an oﬃcer of the Forest Department, to ﬁnd out as to whether the land covered by the pattas, granted in favour of the petitioners; is part of reserve forest, or whether it is revenue land. This exercise shall be completed within two months from the date of receipt of a copy of this order. The nature of remedy, that the petitioners can pursue, would depend upon the outcome of such exercise. Accordingly, the writ petition is disposed of. There shall be no order as to costs. _______________________ L. NARASIMHA REDDY, J. Dt.05-11-2008. KO