22A Land Row Erupts in Telangana

Harish Rao Accuses Govt of ‘Running Circus’, Ponguleti Apologizes 

metro india news  I hyderabad

A political storm broke out in Telangana on Monday over the state government’s handling of 22A prohibited lands, with former Minister Harish Rao accusing the Congress government of “running a circus” and Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy admitting to errors, apologizing on behalf of officials, and announcing a series of corrective measures. The issue, which affects lakhs of property owners in Hyderabad and surrounding districts, dominated both opposition attacks and the government’s response in a single day.

No file moves without 30% commission

Speaking at Telangana Bhavan and later on Twitter, BRS leader and former Minister Harish Rao launched a blistering attack on Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and his cabinet. Are you running a government or a circus, Revanth Reddy? Should government officials be made scapegoats for your mistakes? If you commit the mistake, should they face the punishment? he asked.

Harish Rao alleged that two separate controversies exposed the government’s failures. First, he said Minister Ponnam Prabhakar was trying to shift blame onto officials after a conspiracy to shut down the Kalyana Lakshmi and Shadi Mubarak welfare schemes was exposed. Second, he said Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy was saying ‘Sorry’ and pinning responsibility on officials after irregularities in the 22A prohibited lands list came to light. Saying 'sorry' is not enough after committing an irreparable mistake on issues tied to people’s lives,"_ Harish Rao warned. He said poor families are anxious that Kalyana Lakshmi payments may stop, and that thousands have suffered mental anguish because their legally owned properties were suddenly put in the 22A list.

The BRS leader’s sharpest allegations were on corruption in the Revenue Department. Not a single file moves in the Revenue Department without 30% commission to get land removed from 22A,"_ he claimed. He also alleged that the government was refusing to refund challan fees paid by citizens for registration of properties now stuck in 22A, calling it "looting public money."

Even CM’s house is in 22A list

Harish Rao said the Congress government was creating confusion by arbitrarily adding lands to the prohibition list under Section 22A. He pointed out that the Urban Land Ceiling Act was repealed nationally in 1999 and in Telangana in 2008 by Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, yet the current government was putting even cleared lands back into the list. He cited examples to highlight the chaos: government properties like the Airport and Outer Ring Road, apartment flats bought 30 years ago, and entire colonies in Srinagar Colony, Survey Nos. 8 and 9, where people have lived for 20 years, were all included overnight.

In his most sensational claim, Harish Rao said even CM Revanth Reddy’s own house is listed in the 22A prohibition list. "Only when the heat reaches your own house does the government wake up. Do you only care about common people’s problems when it affects you? If the CM’s situation is like this, what about ordinary people? Who will listen to their grievances?"_ he asked.

He demanded a judicial inquiry into who added properties to 22A and who is removing them after taking bribes. He also asked the government to release a white paper detailing all lands added to the prohibition list since December 7, 2023, and to exempt all such properties from 22A before that date.

On inter-state river issues, Harish Rao said BRS pressure had forced postponement of GRMB and KRMB meetings, but demanded that the agenda item on 7 Telangana projects be deleted entirely.

Mistake happened, we take responsibility"*

Hours later, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy addressed the media after holding a review meeting with Collectors and registration officials from Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Sangareddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts.. Acknowledging the problem, the Minister said, "A mistake occurred in the 22A update. I apologize on behalf of officials." He explained that old lists were submitted to the High Court, and officials failed to remove lands that had earlier been cleared from the prohibited list as per court orders. As a result, private landowners are facing problems even today. However, he asserted that the government would not shift blame. _"We are taking responsibility to solve this," he said.

Govt announces high-level committee and helpline

Announcing immediate steps, Ponguleti said a high-level committee will be formed to resolve 22A issues. The committee will meet weekly to review applications and take decisions.. As of Monday, 757 applications have been received statewide. The breakup: Medchal-Malkajgiri 511, Rangareddy 146, *Hyderabad 62.