HYDERABAD: The process of auction of government lands began on Thursday, with the Industries Department issuing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the purpose. As part of the process, land parcels under the control of various departments, which are not required for any public purpose and located in various prime areas scattered throughout the State, will be auctioned. Disposal of land parcels will be done through e-auction in a transparent manner in order to realise competitive rates, according to orders issued by the Industries Department. District Collectors will identify land parcels of over 1,000 acres.
The SOP is meant for the smooth and timely execution of the sale deeds and to get a fair market value on the lands. Now, the government departments concerned will identify lands which are not required for any immediate public purposes and prone to unauthorised encroachments. A State-level steering committee, that will meet every fortnight, will be constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to review the progress of auctions.
MSTC will be engaged
The government will engage MSTC (a GoI agency) as a service provider to conduct the e-auctions. After suffering a huge dent in revenues due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown, the State government is again exploring the option of auctioning valuable lands. In the 2021-22 Budget, the estimated revenue through the sale of lands is pegged at Rs 20,000 crore. In the current fiscal, the State’s non-tax revenue is estimated at Rs 30,557.35 crore, which includes Rs 20,000 crore from the sale of lands.
DEPTS SEEK IDEAL LANDS For the auctions, government departments concerned will identify lands which are not required for immediate public purposes and prone to unauthorised encroachments