Hyderabad: BJP Telangana president N Ramchander Rao on Thursday alleged that thousands of landowners across the state were facing hardship because agricultural land parcels and plots were being included in the 22-A prohibited properties list under the Congress govt, with some allegedly being forced to pay bribes to get their properties removed from it.Rao demanded that the Congress govt explain the circumstances under which land parcels were being included in the prohibited list and take steps to resolve grievances of the affectedSpeaking at a PowerPoint presentation programme by BJP Legislature Party ( BJLP) leader A Maheswar Reddy on 22-A at the party office, Rao alleged that landowners were being harassed despite being in possession of properties for 20 to 30 years. Many were running from pillar to post, including visiting collectorates, fearing they could lose ownership of their land, he added.Citing Bomraspet village in Shamirpet mandal, Rao said around 1,500 acres had been included in the prohibited list, triggering anxiety among farmers. He alleged that affected farmers were repeatedly approaching the collectorate seeking resolution of their land disputes.He also flagged problems in Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills, alleging that entire parcels of land under a survey number were being placed on the prohibited list because a particular plot within the same survey number was identified as govt land.Such practices were disproportionately hurting poor and middle-class property owners, while wealthy individuals and builders were benefiting, Rao alleged.He said govt, which was responsible for protecting property rights, should not subject citizens to hardship in the name of the 22-A list. He demanded transparency in the process of adding properties to and removing them from the prohibited list, along with justice for affected landowners.Rao also linked the issue to alleged corruption in the revenue department, pointing to recent cases in which the Anti-Corruption Bureau had caught revenue officials. He alleged that landowners were being placed in a position where they had to pay bribes to secure removal of their properties from the prohibited list.
