HYDERABAD: Slamming Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy for allegedly shifting the blame onto the officials in the issue related to inclusion of several private properties in the prohibited list under Section 22-A of Registration Act, BRS leader T Harish Rao on Tuesday demanded that the former take moral responsibility and quit as a Cabinet member.
“The minister cannot simply blame the officials. A major mistake has been committed and an apology is being offered. Will an apology solve the problems being faced by thousands of families? If the government accepts that a major mistake has occurred, then Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy should sack the minister concerned from the Cabinet,” he said.
The former minister was speaking to reporters while taking part in a protest staged in Malkajgiri. Demanding immediate cancellation of the 22-A prohibited lands list, he asked: “Who added these properties to the prohibited list. Who instructed them to do so? Can properties be included arbitrarily in such lists?”
Alleging that the government created widespread confusion and anxiety among lakhs of property owners by adding entire colonies and large numbers of properties to the prohibited list without proper verification, he wondered: “If entire colonies are suddenly placed under Section 22-A, where should ordinary people go? Should citizens be made to run around offices to get corrected the mistakes made by the government?”
“People were in the dark and they came to know that their properties were in prohibited list when they approached the sub-registrars for registration,” he said.
The Siddipet MLA said that the BRS would raise the 22-A issue in the Assembly and continue to fight on behalf of the affected people.
He said that Telangana Bhavan would remain open to anyone facing problems related to land and other issues.
“The Janata Garage at Telangana Bhavan is always open. Anyone facing a problem can come to us. We will stand by you. KCR fought for Telangana and sacrificed everything for the state. The BRS will continue to fight for the rights of the people,” he added.