The Telangana government has announced the removal of all eligible private properties from the prohibited list under Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908. This decision, made on Thursday, allows for the registration of these properties, impacting approximately 1.41 lakh houses and plots throughout the state. The move is expected to streamline property transactions and facilitate ownership rights for many residents.
The orders issued by principal secretary (revenue) Lokesh Kumar, following a meeting led by deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, will allow registration of eligible houses, plots and flats that have valid layout, building or apartment approvals from competent government authorities. The issue has triggered a political controversy over the past two months, with opposition parties accusing the government of harassing people by blocking property transactions. The issue particularly affected areas in and around Hyderabad, including parts of Medchal-Malkajgiri, Rangareddy, Sangareddy and Hyderabad districts.
Section 22-A empowers the government to identify categories of properties whose registration should be prohibited, according to a senior revenue department official. These include government waste lands, assigned lands, properties belonging to municipalities and government institutions, endowment and Wakf properties, surplus lands under the Urban Land Ceiling Act, forest lands, tribal lands covered by Regulation 1 of 1970, and properties under court orders or disputes. The official said more than 3.72 lakh acres had been inadvertently included in the prohibited list while changes were being made to Dharani, the previous land registration portal, which has now been replaced by Bhu Bharati. When it came up in the state legislative assembly on September 16, chief minister A Revanth Reddy assured that the problems would be resolved shortly. Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said properties covered by the 22-A list can be considered for registration if they were developed with valid statutory permissions from competent authorities, including GHMC, HMDA, DTCP, municipal bodies and panchayats.
“Thousands of genuine private properties, including decades-old residential layouts, apartments and lands that had previously received clearances from government agencies, were brought under Section 22-A without adequate verification,” the official said. Thousands of complaints were received from owners who said the restrictions prevented them from selling or registering their properties.
