Hyderabad: Former minister and BRS Deputy Floor Leader T Harish Rao demanded the immediate removal of 22A prohibited lands from the restricted list in Malkajgiri and other areas.
Harish Rao also demanded Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy’s resignation, holding him morally responsible for the controversy. He made the demands while addressing a protest organised in Malkajgiri against the inclusion of properties in the prohibited list.
Harish Rao accused the Congress government of creating new problems instead of resolving existing ones. He questioned how entire colonies could be added to the prohibited list overnight. “Should people wear out their footwear going around government offices for mistakes committed by the government?” he asked.
Harish Rao said the then Congress government had abolished the Urban Land Ceiling system in 2008. Subsequently, those lands became patta lands, and people had lived there for years, he said. He questioned why the government had created a problem now when it had not existed for nearly 20 years.
22A prohibited lands row affects thousands, Harish Rao says
Harish Rao alleged that lands exempted through 7,500 GOs in Rangareddy district had entered the restricted list. He also claimed more than 6,000 such properties in Medchal had been affected.
According to him, HMDA and HUDA lands had also been included among 22A prohibited lands. He accused the government of troubling residents through the prohibited lands issue to gain control over Rangareddy and Medchal districts.
Harish Rao claimed people often discovered the restriction only when they attempted to sell their properties. He alleged that lakhs of plots and houses had entered the list. He cited the case of Ashok from Tilak Nagar, who wanted to sell his 450-square-yard house.
According to Harish Rao, Ashok discovered the restriction only after approaching the Sub-Registrar’s Office. He had also booked tickets to travel to the United States the following day.
“What should Ashok do now? Should he go to America or not? Should he work there or not?” Harish Rao asked. He said Big TV journalist Ashok had also shared his problem on social media. However, Harish Rao said journalists and ordinary residents were facing similar difficulties.
Harish Rao alleges demands over 22A prohibited lands
Harish Rao said allegations had emerged that people were being asked to surrender 30% of their land to secure removal from the list. He also referred to allegations involving demands for development rights. Harish Rao described the situation as serious and criticised the state government.
He said Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy should not shift responsibility to officials while claiming he had made no mistake. “You committed a major mistake and are now saying sorry. Will saying sorry end the suffering of people?” Harish Rao asked.
He also questioned who had placed the properties on the list and who had issued the instructions. Harish Rao demanded that Ponguleti accept moral responsibility and resign as Revenue Minister over the 22A prohibited lands issue.
Harish Rao raises Kalyana Lakshmi funding issue
The BRS leader also accused the government of deliberately mishandling the Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak schemes.
He alleged that the government had intentionally failed to file a counter in court. Harish Rao also compared allocations under the previous BRS government with those under the Congress administration.
He said the K Chandrashekar Rao government had allocated ₹2,600 crore for Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak. In contrast, he claimed the Congress government had allocated only ₹800 crore.
“Kalyana Lakshmi has now become Santana Lakshmi. Assistance meant for the wedding is coming after children are born,” Harish Rao said. He said Minister Ponnam Prabhakar had blamed officials over Kalyana Lakshmi. Similarly, he alleged that Ponguleti had blamed officials for the prohibited lands controversy.
“The mistake is yours, not that of officials. You make the mistake, but should people submit applications?” he asked.
22A prohibited lands must be removed without applications
Harish Rao demanded that the government itself reverse the entries instead of asking affected residents to submit applications. “You put them on the prohibited list, so you must remove them. Remove them in the same manner you added them,” he said.
He demanded that authorities remove the properties without forcing residents to visit government offices repeatedly. Harish Rao also criticised the toll-free number established by the government. He alleged that the helpline was not functioning properly.
He again demanded Ponguleti’s resignation, saying the Revenue Minister should step down by accepting moral responsibility if he respected ethical values.
Harish Rao said the BRS would support people affected by the issue. He described Telangana Bhavan as a “Janata Garage” whose doors would remain open to people facing problems.
He said K Chandrashekar Rao had fought for the creation of Telangana and risked his life for statehood. Harish Rao added that the BRS would continue fighting for the rights of Telangana’s people.