Telangana Tightens 22-A Land Verification, Assures Genuine Owners

Telangana Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy has assured landowners that there is no need for panic over properties included in the Prohibited Properties (POB)/22-A list, promising that all legally eligible claimants will be given justice.

At the same time, the government will not compromise on protecting public properties and will take steps to ensure that genuine landowners do not suffer because of errors or procedural hurdles, the minister said.

Ponguleti held a detailed review meeting at the Secretariat on Tuesday with the Collectors and District Sub-Registrars of Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri and Sangareddy districts. The meeting examined applications received through Praja Vani and those submitted to Collectors, RDOs, Tahsildars and Sub-Registrars concerning properties listed under 22-A/POB provisions.

The minister directed officials to upload online, by August 14, all government orders, proceedings, memos, land acquisition records, layout approvals and other documents issued in connection with land regularisation.

He said digitising these records would help prevent the use of forged documents and provide Sub-Registrars with greater clarity while processing registration requests. Officials are also providing Sub-Registrars access to pahani records to help them verify documents and distinguish genuine claims from fraudulent ones.

Ponguleti instructed Collectors to identify genuine applications and resolve them on a war footing. He called for decisions to be taken from a public-centric perspective and in accordance with the directions and vision of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

The minister also said the discretionary powers of Sub-Registrars would be restricted, with decisions expected to be based on verified information available through official online records.

He specifically directed officials not to mechanically reject registrations merely because a property figures in the POB list. Sub-Registrars should take up to three days to examine such cases and, where registration is denied, clearly communicate the reasons for the rejection.

In a significant administrative change, Ponguleti ordered that applications relating to POB properties should henceforth be sent directly to the District Collector, rather than the Tahsildar. Correspondence on such cases should take place between the Collector and District Registrar.

The measures are aimed at creating a more transparent verification process while maintaining safeguards against the illegal transfer of government and other protected properties. The government is seeking to strike a balance between protecting public assets and ensuring justice for genuine landowners.