Hyderabad: Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy assured eligible claimants that the government would ensure justice in 22A land issues and urged people not to worry about properties listed under the Prohibited of Books (POB) or Section 22A.
The Minister said the government had not added any new lands to the prohibited list. Instead, it would address legal and technical issues inherited from the previous government and provide relief to genuine claimants.
Ponguleti directed officials to upload all documents related to land regularisation online by August 14. The records should include Government Orders, proceedings, memos, land acquisition documents and layout approvals issued so far.
He said online records would help prevent forged documents and give Sub-Registrars greater clarity during registration. Officials could also cross-check documents and identify genuine records more effectively, he added.
The Minister said the government was also taking steps to provide Sub-Registrars access to pahani records for greater transparency.
He directed Collectors to identify genuine applications and resolve them on a war footing. He also asked them to examine POB applications on a case-by-case basis every day.
Ponguleti said Collectors should take decisions from the public’s perspective in line with the vision and directions of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. He urged them to play a more active role in resolving land-related grievances.
22A land issues to get faster district-level scrutiny
Ponguleti held a detailed review meeting on Tuesday at the Secretariat with the Collectors and District Sub-Registrars of Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri and Sangareddy districts.
The meeting examined the number of applications received through Prajavani and by Collectors, Revenue Divisional Officers, Tahsildars and Sub-Registrars in the four districts.
Officials also discussed the steps required to process the applications and resolve genuine claims.
“Rather than resolving a problem after it arises, Collectors have the responsibility to prevent problems from occurring,” Ponguleti said.
He directed officials to review every POB application daily on a case-by-case basis. He warned that the government would not tolerate deliberate action that caused injustice to poor or eligible people in the name of Section 22A.
The Minister reiterated that Sub-Registrars should not exercise discretionary powers or receive additional authority in such matters. He directed officials to limit their role to approving registrations based on the information available online.
At the same time, Ponguleti stressed that the government would not compromise on protecting public assets. He warned that officials who committed even minor violations would face strict action.
He asked Sub-Registrars to bring any issue to the attention of the Collector or Inspector General of Stamps and Registration.
Online records to guide registration decisions
Ponguleti directed Sub-Registrars not to reject registrations of properties appearing on the POB list without proper examination. They should take up to three days, where necessary, and record the reasons for a proposed rejection.
The Minister also ordered officials to send every POB-related application directly to the Collector instead of routing it through the Tahsildar.
Correspondence on such matters should take place between the Collector and District Registrar, he said.
Ponguleti noted that agricultural, non-agricultural and POB lists had earlier existed separately. Their integration had resulted in complaints that Sub-Registrars were stopping entire registrations when some properties appeared on the prohibited list during scrutiny.
He directed officials to compare registration documents with the latest information uploaded online before taking decisions.
The Minister also instructed the Inspector General of Stamps and Registration to convene a meeting with Sub-Registrars from the four districts by Tuesday evening.
The Inspector General must communicate the decisions taken at the high-level meeting and ensure their immediate implementation, Ponguleti said.
Revenue Secretary D.S. Lokesh Kumar, Stamps and Registration IG Rajeev Gandhi Hanumanth, the four district Collectors and District Registrars attended the meeting.