Poor response to TS Govts' land regularisation scheme

Hyderabad: Poor response has belied the expectations of the State government which wanted to mop up at least Rs 1,000 crore by regularisation of government lands encroached by private individuals in excess of 125 sq. yds.

The State government received 12,051 applications up to February 12, 2015, despite measures to boost public response to the scheme. The State had not only reduced the penal charges, but also extended twice the deadline for receiving applications so as to encourage the people to turn out in large numbers and benefit from the scheme.

This was done by issuing GO No.12 on January 30, 2015. Earlier, the government had initiated the process of land regularisation by issuing GO No. 59 December 30, 2014.

In Ranga Reddy district, on which the State government had pinned all its hopes and from where the government hoped to garner the highest amount of money post regularization, the scheme has floundered.

The Sherlingampally Mandal, which houses HI-TEC City and posh Gachibowli areas, considered the hub of city's elite real estate activity, has so far received 330 applications under the scheme as against the initial expectations of 3000 applications. Noticeably, the response to the scheme improved only upon relaxation of the guidelines under GO 12.

'The response was very poor for the scheme until the State government issued the revised orders. We expect that the number of applications would go up in the coming days as many relaxations, like reduction of payment amount and installment facility, have been provided to the people.

Applicants can avail of the installment facility till December this year,' Sherlingampally Tehsildar D Srinivas Reddy told.

Interestingly, the mandal has received about 28,000 applications under free land regularization scheme, which is meant for the regularisation of lands below the extent of 125 sq yd.

Similarly, another mandal with real estate boom, Qutbullapur, has received 536 applications under the scheme, as against the initial expectations of 1,600 applications.

Qutbullapur Tehsildar M. Krishna said that the response to the scheme was poor for varied reasons when they compared it with free regularisation. Under the free land regularization scheme, we received 7,000 odd applications.

This is not the case for payment category scheme. We feel that many of the people did not respond to it because many had lands of less than 125 sq. yds in the mandal.

'There is hardly anybody with land up to the extent of 250 sq. yds to 500 sq. yds,' M Krishna said. The modified orders (GO No.12) of the State were issued in the wake of poor response to the land regularisation scheme and representations from potential beneficiaries seeking reduction in the penal amount.

Relief has been given to various categories of people. For encroachments up to 250 sq. yds, land would be regularised by collecting 25 per cent of the registration value of the land as on June 2, 2014, as against 50 per cent of the value fixed earlier.

The people who have encroached up to 500 sq. yds have to pay 50 per cent of the basic value of the land as against 75 per cent of the value fixed earlier.

Individuals who had encroached upon land in excess of 500 sq yd now have to pay 75 per cent of the basic value of the land, as against the 100 per cent of the basic value earlier.