Section 22A Woes Deepen as Incomplete Prohibitory List Reappears on Portal
The issue has forced anxious property owners to make rounds of MRO, RDO and collector offices to ascertain the status of their properties
Hyderabad: Section 22A related woes continue to trouble property owners in the state, with the prohibitory list that disappeared from the Bhu Bharati portal reappearing on the stamps and registrations department website on Tuesday, but with crucial data still missing. The development has added to the anxiety of property owners who fear that their land and properties have been placed in the prohibited list without their knowledge.
Though the registration and stamps department has now uploaded details of prohibited agricultural and non-agricultural properties under Section 22A, the information remains incomplete. The portal does not display details of properties categorised under “Wakf” and “Endowments”. When users click on these categories, the website displays the message: “Prohibition data is under review. It will be published soon.”
The absence of a suitable search facility is compounding the difficulties of property owners. Unlike a system where owners could enter their name, khata number or other property details and ascertain the status of their properties, the existing website does not provide such a convenient search option.
The issue has forced anxious property owners to make rounds of MRO, RDO and collector offices to ascertain the status of their properties. Many are also contacting the toll-free numbers established by the revenue department to lodge complaints and grievances regarding wrongful inclusion of properties in the Section 22A prohibitory list. The toll-free number has received around 1,200 calls so far, including 547 complaints relating to agricultural land and 433 concerning non-agricultural properties.
The complaints are being received from Hyderabad and surrounding districts, with a significant number pertaining to Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) clearance issues in Nadergul in Rangareddy district and areas of Medchal-Malkajgiri.
The district-wise breakup of calls included 258 from Rangareddy, 149 from Medchal, 82 from Sangareddy, 44 from Kamareddy, 40 from Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri and 35 from Siddipet.
The concerns arose after property owners found that their holdings had been placed in the prohibited list, preventing them from carrying out transactions such as sale, gift, mortgage and transfer. In many cases, owners came to know about the prohibition only when they approached the concerned Sub-Registrar Office (SRO) to register a transaction.
Although revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy claimed that the government would address the complaints on a war footing, official sources said resolving cases relating to Bhoodan, Wakf and Endowment categories could take some time as several such matters were at different stages of adjudication before courts.
The government has asked property owners to approach officials concerned for different categories of Section 22A grievances. People with complaints relating to Section 22A(1)(a), (b) and (d) have been asked to approach the district collector concerned. Those facing problems under Section 22A(1)(c) have been advised to approach the Waqf Board chief executive officer or the endowments commissioner, while grievances relating to Section 22A(1)(e) have to be taken up with the committee constituted for the purpose at the office of the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA).
Meanwhile, scores of property owners in Karimnagar and Vikarabad districts staged dharnas on Tuesday demanding the immediate removal of their properties from the Section 22A prohibitory list. The protesters, including owners of residential plots and houses, staged sit-ins at the entrances of Collectorates, alleging that the inclusion of their properties in the prohibited list had prevented them from selling or transferring their holdings.
With the prohibited-property data still incomplete and owners unable to independently verify the status of their holdings online, the Section 22A issue continues to keep property owners on edge, prompting them to seek clarification from revenue and registration authorities.
