Hyderabad: In posh areas like Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Gachibowli, Madhapur etc., landowners have to take DDs for lakhs of rupees and are concerned that this would attract the attention of the Income-Tax department.
Plot owners are thus shying away from seeking regularisation since they cannot pay in “white” and the government does not accept in “black” money.
A revenue official in Shaikpet mandal, under which posh areas like Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills fall, said, “Nearly 5,500 plot owners who possess land between 300 sq. yards to 1,000 sq. yards came to the MRO office, but returned without submitting applications after they were told that they needed to submit DDs ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore. They questioned how they could pay such a huge amount in ‘white’ stating that Income-Tax officials would come after them if they did that. They even offered to pay in ‘black’, which the government cannot accept.”
The applications that were received for the scheme launched on January 1 and which concludes on January 19, clearly shows the income tax troubles being faced by plot owners. While 96,000 applications were received for the “free category”, only 1,300 applications were received for the “payment category” across Telangana.
As per revenue records, a large number of big plots are located in Shaikpet, Serilingampally, Quthbullapur, Uppal, Saroornagar and Rajendranagar mandals. Owners possessing as much as five acre of land came to MRO offices for regularisation, but went back without submitting applications after they were told to submit DDs worth lakhs and crores of rupees.
“I own a plot admeasuring 500 sq. yards in Banjara Hills. When I visited Shaikpet MRO office for regularisation, I was told to pay Rs 2 crore, as the present market rate is Rs 9 crore. Though it’s highly profitable for me to spend only Rs 2 crore to own a Rs 9 crore property legally, how can I take bank DDs for such a big amount? This will invite income tax problems for me. I hope the government may scrap these norms as no big plot owners are coming forward for regularisation,” said a plot owner.
Not only such posh areas, even plot owners owning land in medium-range areas like Masab Tank, Krishnanagar, Indiranagar etc. are also not in a position to seek regularisation
“I was asked to pay Rs 90 lakh for 500 sq yards. I was afraid to take DDs. Ten days is not sufficient to meet all such income tax norms,” said another plot owner of Masab Tank.
