Hyderabad: Former minister T Harish Rao demanded the state govt to release a white paper on all the lands that were added to the prohibited list since December 2023 after the Congress govt came into power. He alleged that state govt has turned Section 22A into a tool of harassment and corruption.During an informal chat with the media at Telangana Bhavan on Monday, Harish Rao criticised the Congress govt over the alleged arbitrary inclusion of private and govt lands in the Section 22A prohibited properties list and accused the govt of creating widespread confusion among property owners across Telangana.“Lakhs of acres and thousands of properties were placed under Section 22A and prohibition without proper verification, leaving lakhs of people anxious about whether their own lands and properties were legally transferable. The situation had become so chaotic that even properties that had long been cleared under the Urban Land Ceiling Act were now being brought back into the prohibited list,” Harish Rao said.He pointed out that the Urban Land Ceiling Act had been repealed across the country in 1999 and that the then Andhra Pradesh Government under Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy had withdrawn the applicability of the law in the State in 2008. “When lands were already cleared from the ceiling restrictions, on what basis is this government once again bringing them under Section 22A? This exposes the government’s lack of understanding and administrative control,” he said.Harish Rao said that even govt properties and lands associated with major public infrastructure, including areas around the airport and Outer Ring Road, had reportedly been included in the prohibited list. He said this demonstrated the seriousness of the administrative failure.He alleged that lakhs of properties in Hyderabad were suddenly included in the prohibited list and questioned the decision to include properties in Survey Nos. 8 and 9 of Srinagar Colony, where residents had been living peacefully for decades. He said even apartment flats purchased around 30 years ago were being subjected to Section 22A restrictions, leaving ordinary citizens uncertain about the future of their properties.“Many ordinary people do not even know that their property has been placed under Section 22A. They pay challans and registration charges, complete the process and only at the final stage are told that their property is in the prohibited list. Even the money paid through challans is not being returned in several cases. Why should citizens suffer because of the government’s administrative mistakes?” he asked.The BRS senior leader said properties that had earlier received official NOCs from the stat govt and against which banks had sanctioned loans were now being placed under Section 22A, creating difficulties for both property owners and financial institutions. He also questioned the inclusion of established areas such as Banjara Hills Housing Society in the prohibited list.Harish Rao alleged that Section 22A had effectively become an instrument for harassment and corruption in the revenue department. He alleged that there were widespread allegations of commissions being demanded for removing properties from the prohibited list and said the state govt must order an immediate independent inquiry into the process by which properties were added to and removed from Section 22A.He said the issue had now reached such a level that even the residence of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was reportedly reflected in the Section 22A prohibited list. “When the problem reached the Chief Minister’s own doorstep, the state govt suddenly woke up. Does the state govt need to face the same problem personally before understanding the suffering of ordinary citizens?” he asked.He said the state govt cannot not first arbitrarily place properties under Section 22A and then announce reviews and fresh Government Orders to correct the mistakes. “If an error has occurred, remove the wrongly included properties immediately. Why delay the process in the name of reviews? Is there an ulterior motive behind this delay?” he questioned.
