Thousands of acres placed in controversial 22A prohibited list in erstwhile Adilabad

Thousands of acres of land across erstwhile Adilabad district have been placed under the controversial 22A prohibited list, sparking widespread discontent among farmers, traders and residents. Officials disclosed that lakhs of acres, including house sites and lands in urban colonies, were added, leaving many questioning the government’s move and urging a review.

Adilabad: Thousands of acres of land were placed in the controversial 22A prohibited list, triggering widespread discontent among all sections of the erstwhile Adilabad district.

Officials said that 4.5 lakh acres were included in the list in Nirmal district alone, while 2 lakh acres were added in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district. Officials claimed that the quantum of the prohibited land was yet to be calculated in Mancherial and Adilabad districts, raising eyebrows among many.

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Officials disclosed that the lands categorized as assigned, ceiling, unassigned, endowment, waqf, court cases-related, allocated to various departments, forest-disputes related, and those acquired by the government for irrigation projects, have been placed in the prohibited list. As many as 6,000 acres of land, situated in a survey number, have been included in the list in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district.

Shockingly, over 10,000 house sites belonging to the government, but assigned to the poor previously by the Congress and the BRS in Rajivnagar, Tilaknagar, Garmilla, Naspur and Singapur were also included in the list. The sites allocated to Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers in Naspur too were added. Nearly 5,000 house sites owned by the SCCL in Srirampur Area, but regularized by the BRS were also added to the list.

However, farmers, common people, traders and beneficiaries of various schemes and government employees expressed concern over the inclusion of their lands in the list. They urged the government to review its decision and remove the lands from the prohibition. They claimed that they had been in possession of the lands for decades now.

People wondered as to how lands situated in urban parts could be placed in the prohibited list. They reasoned that residential colonies and commercial establishments were constructed in the lands a few decades ago. For instance, a significant portion of lands in Mancherial town were now featured in the list, surprising many.

Meanwhile, people from the countryside regretted that they were shocked by the inclusion of hundreds of acres in the list. They lamented that the lands inherited from grandparents were placed in the list. Some of the farmers claimed that they purchased lands from neighbours, but the assets were suddenly reflected in the prohibited list, preventing them from selling to others if required.