Telangana to remove eligible private properties from 22-A list

Telangana has removed private properties from the prohibited list for registration, benefiting 1.41 lakh homes and plots, amid political controversy.

The Telangana government on Thursday ordered the removal of all eligible private properties from the prohibited list under Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908, paving the way for their registration, people familiar with the matter said. The decision is expected to benefit around 1.41 lakh houses and plots across the state.

The orders issued by principal secretary (revenue) Lokesh Kumar, following a meeting led by deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, will allow registration of eligible houses, plots and flats that have valid layout, building or apartment approvals from competent government authorities.

According to a senior revenue department official, Section 22-A empowers the government to identify categories of properties whose registration should be prohibited. These include government waste lands, assigned lands, properties belonging to municipalities and government institutions, endowment and Wakf properties, surplus lands under the Urban Land Ceiling Act, forest lands, tribal lands covered by Regulation 1 of 1970, and properties under court orders or disputes.

The official said more than 3.72 lakh acres had been inadvertently included in the prohibited list while changes were being made to Dharani, the previous land registration portal, which has now been replaced by Bhu Bharati.

“Thousands of genuine private properties, including decades-old residential layouts, apartments and lands that had previously received clearances from government agencies, were brought under Section 22-A without adequate verification,” the official said.

The issue has triggered a political controversy over the past two months, with opposition parties accusing the government of harassing people by blocking property transactions. Thousands of complaints were received from owners who said the restrictions prevented them from selling or registering their properties.

The issue particularly affected areas in and around Hyderabad, including parts of Medchal-Malkajgiri, Rangareddy, Sangareddy and Hyderabad districts. When it came up in the state legislative assembly on September 16, chief minister A Revanth Reddy assured that the problems would be resolved shortly.

Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said properties covered by the 22-A list can be considered for registration if they were developed with valid statutory permissions from competent authorities, including GHMC, HMDA, DTCP, municipal bodies and panchayats.

Owners will have to produce valid approvals and at least one link document relating to a registration carried out after the relevant approval was granted.

The government has also constituted district-level committees headed by collectors to scrutinise individual cases based on revenue records, statutory approvals, title documents and the legal status of the land.

“Eligible cases will be resolved at the earliest,” Reddy said.

Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience.