Subdued Real Estate Activity in Tirupati and Chittoor

Officials attribute the slump to a combination of halted freehold registrations, stricter land regulation enforcement and subdued real estate activity across the region.

In Tirupati district, the department generated Rs 507.18 crore in revenue, down from Rs 521.74 crore the previous year and is falling short of this year’s target by nearly Rs 270 crore. Document registrations witnessed a sharp decline from 1,823 in 2023–24 to 880 in 2024–25. Sub-registrar offices across the district underperformed, with only Venkatagiri (86.73) and Chandragiri (84.91) crossing the 80 per cent mark.

Tirupati Urban, which had the highest target of Rs 172.77 crore, managed to collect only Rs 92.18 crore (53.35 per cent). Renigunta achieved 66.17 per cent of its Rs 159.76 crore goal, while Tirupati Rural reached 70.75 per cent (Rs 68.91 crore). Naidupeta recorded 64.58 per cent (Rs 20.70 crore), Gudur 61.90 per cent (Rs 32.75 crore), Puttur 63.37 per cent (Rs 21.60 crore), and Srikalahasti 56.22 per cent (Rs 27.35 crore).

A key factor contributing to the decline was the government’s suspension of freehold registrations in subdivisions like Srikalahasti, Renigunta and Satyavedu, where DKT and dotted lands were involved. Nearly 2,000 such registrations had been processed in these areas during 2023–24.

“We had to halt freehold registrations to address complaints of irregularities and ensure uniform enforcement of land use rules,” said a senior official at the district registrar’s office. “This move, though necessary, directly impacted our revenue inflow.”

The real estate sector also showed signs of stagnation. A local real estate agent, Narayana Reddy, said that earlier, NRIs and their families had invested heavily in land parcels, particularly on the outskirts of Tirupati and Sullurpet. “Now, buyers are holding back due to reduced overseas earnings and increased scrutiny of property documents,” he noted.

The Chittoor district, while showing an improvement over the previous year, rising from 50.90 per cent in 2023–24 to 68 per cent in 2024–25, still fell short of its Rs 221.88 crore target, managing only 1149.88 crore by the end of March.

“After implementing reforms and suspending freehold conversions due to irregularities, our revenue has taken a hit in the short term. However, we’ve performed better than last year and expect a rebound in the coming quarters,” said an official at the Chittoor sub-registrar office.

According to the official data, Palamaner led with 78 per cent of its target achieved, followed by Karvetinagaram at 75.71 per cent and Kuppam 69.93 per cent, while Bangarupalem lagged behind at 55.88 per cent. Document registrations in the district dropped significantly—from 86,622 in 2023–24 to 60,656 in 2024–25—a decline of nearly 26,000 transactions.