Land Regularisation Scheme helps Telangana to spot vacant land

Hyderabad: The land regularisation scheme announced earlier this year has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Telangana government.

While the government received less than 23,000 applications, that too mostly from the city’s outskirts, ground level inspections by the revenue department to regularise illegal lands have detected lands belonging to the government either lying vacant or encroached.

Officials have traced government plots in expensive areas like Jubilee Hills etc. during LRS inspections and have taken possession of them. These lands will fetch huge revenues for the government in the second phase of land auction.

The government has issued GO 58, 59 to regularise government lands that are occupied by private individuals. While GO 58 pertains to regularisation of land free of cost for the poor up to 125 sq. yards, GO 59 is meant for regularisation by collecting the market price in four installments. Officials were asked to take up ground level inspections of all plots to ascertain whether the applications complied with norms before issuing regularisation certificates. The inspections brought to light government lands that were either lying vacant or abutted LRS application sites.

This way, the government could trace a 1,000-sq. yard plot near Jubilee Hills check post, which is worth nearly Rs 10 crore and a 300 sq.yard plot in Filmnagar worth Rs 3 crore. Similarly, a three-acre site was traced in Shaikpet mandal worth nearly Rs 100 crore.

"This drive will go on for a few more weeks,” said Mr Raymond Peter, chief commissioner of land administration. During inspections, it was found that some people had submitted applications under “free category for poor” though they come under the “payment category.” and all such anomalies are being rectified.