Property owners in Telangana, especially in Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri, are facing the consequences of, to put it mildly, the Revenue Department’s gross negligence. To their shock and dismay, they are finding that their long-owned and hard-earned lands and flats have been placed on the prohibited list under Section 22A of the Registration Act. This means they can neither sell, mortgage nor transfer their perfectly legal properties.
This is an ‘administrative error’ of extraordinary proportions. It all began after the High Court, last year, directed the state government to place an updated list of prohibited properties in the public domain. The revised list was sent to all sub-registrar offices “without proper verification”, to quote Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy. He issued a public apology following the backlash. The people’s anger is justified.
Hundreds, if not thousands, found out that their properties were on the prohibited list when they checked or visited the SROs to sell them. The court had issued the direction because thousands of cases involving disputed properties were pending before it. Private lands regularised long ago were included in the so-called verified lists. In some cases, properties regularised decades earlier also found a place on the list. The upshot of this fiasco is that legitimate owners are being forced to ‘apply’ to have their properties removed from the prohibited category. The question is: why should innocent people run from pillar to post because of inept and careless government employees? The onus of proof, in a way, is on the victims.
The state government has constituted a high-level official committee and promised to resolve grievances within two days of receiving an application. It hopes to complete the process by this month-end. The irony is that revenue officials too are part of the committee—the very people responsible for this right royal mess. The government must once again revise its prohibited list after thorough verification. Otherwise, the problem will persist.
The Revenue Department, truth be told, is much-criticised notorious as it is. Its actions have not only caused a public nightmare but also threaten the real estate sector. While the government has apologised and is trying to rectify the mistakes, it should also take exemplary action against the erring officials. There must be accountability. It should not shy away from it merely because the Opposition is up in arms.
