HYDERABAD: With urbanisation spilling over beyond Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits, the agricultural lands under Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) areas are vanishing fast.
At present, majority of agricultural lands are making way for housing and commercial activities leading to ecological imbalances. However, taking a serious note of the issue, HMDA has decided to urge the state government to bring a legislation by preparing policy document against registration of plots that are developed from agricultural lands in an unauthorised manner.
HMDA wants the state government to bring a policy decision directing Registration department to not register agricultural lands into plots, house sites, flats and buildings without permission for development of land from the planning body, which is HMDA in the HMR area.
Speaking to Express, HMDA Metropolitan commissioner T Chiranjeevulu said that the authority has decided to inform the state government about the rampant unauthorised conversion of agricultural land into non-agricultural land by real estate mafia and private builders. The real estate mafia, after purchasing the farming land at throwaway prices, develop them as unauthorised layout plots and sell them to people at much higher prices.
Taking cue from Tamil Nadu govt
The authority will approach the state government seeking legislation of the Urban Development Authorities Act on the lines of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, where the Tamil Nadu government had brought a comprehensive policy decision to protect agricultural lands by bringing an amendment to Section 22-A of Registration Act, with effect from October 20, 2016. When some affected persons approached the High Court in Chennai last year, they received a jolt from the court, who dismissed their petitions.
The High Court, in its orders to the Registering Authority, directed not to register any sale deed in respect to any plot in unauthorised layouts or any flat or building constructed on such plots.
The order becomes necessary to prevent further development of unauthorised layouts and conversion of agricultural areas for non-agriculture use in an unplanned manner, as also to save ecology and prevent flooding.
Chiranjeevulu wants the Registration department to refuse to register documents relating to transfer of ownership of lands converted as house sites or flats without the permission for development from the Planning authority.