Congress opens floodgates for large-scale land fraud, pushes for LRS without full field verification

Govt has decided to fast-track the clearance of five lakh pending applications, while inviting fresh ones

Hyderabad: Desperate to plug its widening revenue gap, the Congress government in Telangana has taken what many call a reckless decision to clear Layout Regularisation Scheme (LRS) applications without proper field verification.

Though orders have been issued to conduct random inspections for at least 10 per cent of applications in each layout, officials admit that staff shortage and time constraints make even this minimal verification a challenge. The danger is, this could open the floodgates for large-scale land fraud.

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With just 56 per cent of its annual revenue target of Rs 2.21 lakh crore met by January-end, the State government is scrambling to generate funds through quick-fix schemes, including the LRS. In a last-ditch effort to mop up Rs 3,000 crore before March 31, the government has decided to fast-track the clearance of five lakh pending applications, while inviting fresh ones. The move comes as a big relief for many individuals who purchased plots in unauthorised layouts, but the hasty manner in which it is being implemented raises serious concerns.

Around 25 lakh LRS applications were received when the then BRS government invited applications in 2020. Though verification was completed for around nine lakh applications, their approvals were not issued. Now, the government has decided to push through five lakh more and also accept fresh applications, without the rigorous verification process that was previously required.

Earlier, LRS approvals mandated field inspections, verification of revenue maps and NOCs (No Objection Certificates) from the Revenue and Irrigation departments to prevent illegal regularisation of plots in ecologically sensitive zones or disputed lands. But the Congress government decided to replace this due diligence with nominal verification of 10 per cent of the plots on random basis.

The officials were instructed to commence the process from Monday (March 3), with an aim to mop up around Rs 3,000 crore before March 31 this fiscal. This deadline, coupled with staff shortage, poses a huge challenge for staff of urban and rural local bodies in the State to conduct field verification for even the mandated 10 per cent. Indirectly admitting the challenges involved in field verification, the Municipal Administration department had even issued orders to conduct field verification after the fee payment, with a provision to reject the application, if it violates the existing norms. To justify itself, the government is claiming that lands within 200 metres of water bodies and assigned lands, have already been earmarked for rejection.

Worsening the situation, the government has introduced a controversial pre-registration module in the registration portal allowing open plots to be registered without even link documents. This means unauthorised layouts can be regularised without verifying ownership history, potential disputes, or environmental concerns. By bypassing these critical checks, the government is opening the floodgates for large-scale land fraud, making it easier for land sharks to legalise encroachments and unauthorised developments overnight.