Land regularisation costs TS dear

LRS SCHEME

The land regularisation scheme is proving to be a costly proposition for the Telangana government. Lands in different parts of the city, worth `200 crore as per existing market rates, are being regularised free of cost. Pattas are being readied for 85,000 beneficiaries in the GHMC limits, registered in the name of women, for distribution on June 2, on the occasion of the first anniversary of TS formation day.

However, some government departments are raising strong objections over parting with their land which is worth crores of rupees for the LRS scheme. In Hyderabad alone, nearly 60,000 people have applied for LRS.

A significant number of applicants sought regularisation of lands belonging to various departments of state and central governments.

While the TS government has to seek permission from the Centre for regularisation of Union government’s lands by allotting similar extent of land in other parts of the city, it has been facing resistance even from its own departments.

Official sources revealed that the power department owns 38 acres in Jawahar Nagar, 20 acres in LN Nagar near Yousufguda and 5 acres in Erramanzil.

These lands, which are now worth hundreds of crores of rupees, were allotted more than 10 years ago to meet future needs like obtaining loans.

When revenue officials recently visited these lands to take up verification of LRS applications, the power officials and staff strongly objected asking how they can give away their valuable lands to encroachers.

Similarly, Centre’s National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises owns 58 acres of prime land in Yousufguda, on which several illegal houses have come up and have applied for LRS.