Ponguleti apologises over 22-A controversy

Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy apologised for hardships caused by errors in Section 22-A prohibited land records. The government will form a high-level committee to address complaints, while a toll-free number has been launched and pending applications will be reviewed

Hyderabad: As criticism over the rampant inclusion of old properties in the list of prohibited category under Section 22-A turned into rage against the ruling Congress party, the government tendered an apology for the “hardships faced by a few people”.

The apology came during a press conference of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, who threw the blame on the district collectors. He maintained that all District Collectors had continued to use old copies of the prohibited land lists. “This is definitely a mistake by our officials. I admit a few people faced hardships and I apologise to them,” he said at a press conference here on Monday.

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The Minister said ordinary citizens had faced hardships because official records were not updated. Details of lands that had been removed from the prohibited list following High Court orders were not reflected in the records. As a result, those properties continued to remain on the prohibited list.

Srinivas Reddy said a high-level committee would be constituted to resolve issues related to Section 22-A prohibited lands in the State. The committee would meet every week to review applications and other related issues and take decisions.

A toll-free number, 1800 5994788, has also been set up to provide information on prohibited lands. He said anyone providing information would receive a response within three days and appropriate action would be taken on the complaint.

“In cases where registration cannot be processed, the people will be informed of the clear reasons. Further, if registration fee has already been paid, it will be refunded in accordance with the rules,” Srinivas Reddy said.

He said a comprehensive report would be prepared on Bhoodan lands in the State. The report would cover pending issues, disputes and methods for resolving them. The Minister said the Urban Land Ceiling list was being rectified. Orders had been issued to take appropriate action within two days to ensure justice for rightful owners.

Regarding a property in Hyderabad, Srinivas Reddy said the department had issued Town Survey Land Register (TSLR) and survey numbers, while the GHMC had issued its own details. Problems arose when the two sets of records were superimposed, and these issues were also being resolved, he said.

In Ranga Reddy, a 12-acre plot was included in the 22-A list in its entirety, even though only two acres were classified as Bhoodan land, he said.

Similarly, certain endowment and forest lands were also included in the prohibited list. Srinivas Reddy said instructions had been issued to use geo-tagging to identify the specific plots, register them accordingly and grant freehold status to the remaining land.

“Genuine landowners will not face any injustice regarding the 22-A prohibited land classification,” Srinivas Reddy assured.

Issues concerning CS-7 and CS-14 lands have remained tied up in court litigation for decades. While court hearings are continuing, land regularisation has taken place in certain areas. The Minister said all these aspects would be examined before a decision was taken.

“Instructions have been issued to officials to subdivide private lands in Hyderabad’s Alwyn and Asbestos colonies and ensure that registrations can be carried out there without any difficulties,” he said.

The Minister spoke to the media after conducting an extensive review meeting on Section 22-A issues with Collectors, Additional Collectors, RDOs, District Registrars and Sub-Registrars from Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Sangareddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts at the Secretariat.

He said the problem was most prevalent in these four districts, with 511 applications currently pending in Medchal-Malkajgiri district alone. Srinivas Reddy said instructions had been issued to resolve all Section 22-A applications in the remaining districts by this month-end.