Hyderabad: Former minister T Harish Rao alleged that a massive land scam worth nearly Rs 1,000 crore had taken place in Shamshabad involving 170 acres of govt land in survey no 173 and 183 in Peddashapur village in Shamshabad mandal being illegally converted into private patta land. He demanded a detailed investigation into the land scam by CID or special investigation team (SIT), suspension of tehsildar and restoration of of the land into the prohibited list.Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday, Harish Rao accused the Congress govt of failing to protect public assets while neglecting farmers and public welfare promises. He said the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) had clearly identified the land as govt land and instructed the tehsildar to protect it from encroachment and include it in the prohibited list under Section 22-A. He said the same was mentioned in an affidavit submitted before the Telangana high court on January 30, 2026.Harish Rao said that the tehsildar himself confirmed on February 24, 2026 that the land belonged to the govt. However, within just four days, on February 28, 2026, the same tehsildar reportedly passed orders declaring the land as private property.“How did govt land suddenly become private land within four days?” Harish Rao questioned. He alleged that despite contradictory reports from the RDO and tehsildar, the matter was still presented before the high court, raising serious doubts over the role of senior officials.Harish Rao questioned how the collector approved such orders and how the advocate general cleared them despite the dispute involving valuable govt land. The former minister alleged that ACB officials had initially attempted to investigate the matter but later withdrew due to pressure from influential people in the govt. “Who are the powerful people protecting the MRO? Their names must come out,” he demanded.He also questioned how the land was entered into the Bhu Bharati online records without mandatory approvals from the RDO, as required under the law. The ex-minister alleged that the mutation process was completed overnight and the entire 170 acres of govt land was converted into private patta land illegally.“If the government is truly transparent and has no involvement in this land scam, it should immediately dismiss the officers and protect govt land,” he said.
