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Hyderabad: Since Telangana citizens started facing problems registering and selling their land as it showed up on the state’s prohibited list, both the ruling Congress and the Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) stepped up to provide a quick resolution to the issue.

While BRS has announced a legal cell with 10 lawyers in Telangana Bhavan to provide free legal aid to the affected people, Congress has asked officials not to reject applications just because the land falls under the prohibited list.

Harish Rao slams govt for causing panic among landowners

Senior BRS leaders, including Harish Rao, Sabita Indra Reddy, Kaleru Venkatesh, Mutha Gopal, and Devireddy Sudheer Reddy, interacted with people at Telangana Bhavan on Wednesday, August 19, and assured full support from the party.

Harish Rao said that MLAs will also talk to officials and collectors to ensure speedy resolution. He appealed to the people not to pay commissions to anyone and not to sell their properties at low prices out of fear.

He alleged that even properties in Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA)-approved layouts and houses purchased decades ago had been included in the 22A prohibited list, raising serious questions about the manner in which the list was prepared.

Harish Rao said several instances had been brought to his notice where properties had been removed from and subsequently added back to the prohibited list under questionable circumstances.

He demanded a thorough investigation into the entire process and said that the officials and political leaders responsible must be identified.

He alleged that in Budvel village, properties in Survey Nos. 282, 283 and 284, covering around 30 acres, were reportedly cleared from the 22A list under pressure and questioned the circumstances surrounding the subsequent transactions.

He also alleged irregularities relating to properties in Survey Nos. 20/1 and 21 of Serilingampally and demanded an investigation into the manner in which their status was altered.

Referring to the alleged inclusion of properties in KSR Colony, Ameenpur, despite a Supreme Court judgment, Harish Rao questioned why hundreds of families were being subjected to uncertainty and hardship.

Harish Rao questions contradictory statements from revenue department

“Ten days ago, the Revenue Minister said that not even a single acre had been wrongly included in the 22A list. Now officials are being blamed for making mistakes, and an apology is being offered. How can such contradictory explanations be accepted?” he asked.

He further questioned why Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had remained silent despite claims that around 40,000 acres in Yadadri district had been included in the 22A prohibited list.

He demanded that the government order a Crime Investigation Department (CID) inquiry into the 22A issue and identify who authorised the inclusion of properties in the prohibited list, who implemented the changes and who subsequently removed properties from the list.

“Why is the Chief Minister ordering CID and vigilance inquiries even over minor issues, but not ordering a CID inquiry into an issue affecting the lives and properties of lakhs of people?” he questioned.

He also demanded that all properties wrongly included in the 22A list be immediately restored and that the government publish complete details of the properties added to and removed from the prohibited list.

Harish Rao alleged that the government had created further confusion by taking the Bhubharati website offline and questioned whether this was being done to prevent people from accessing relevant land records.

Congress assures speedy resolution

Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said that the state government has initiated actions under a fast-track policy to swiftly address the confusion among the public.

Officials have been instructed not to reject registration applications solely because the land is listed under 22A, but to comprehensively examine every case, he said.

He advised that a final decision should be made only after comprehensively reviewing why the land was included in the 22A prohibited list. Officials have also been asked to review associated records, the current status of the land, documents in the possession of the rights holder, details of past registrations and government records.

He said that in case a land is ineligible for registration, applicants should be clearly informed why it is not possible, and steps should be taken to refund the registration fee paid in advance.

He also added that the 22A ban has been lifted from approximately 3,000 square meters of land in Survey Numbers 101/1, 101/2, 102, 108, 109, 112, and 81 within the jurisdiction of the Balanagar Sub-Registrar’s office.