HYDERABAD: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Tuesday demanded that Telangana Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy resign, alleging that the state government’s recent move to include large numbers of private properties in the prohibited list under Section 22A of the Registration Act has created confusion and distress among lakhs of landowners.
Protest at Malkajgiri
The demand was made during a protest organised at Malkajgiri and led by Deputy Floor Leader T. Harish Rao. Legislators Marri Rajashekhar Reddy and Kaleru Venkatesh Yadav, along with other party leaders, participated in the demonstration, which sought immediate cancellation of the list of lands included under Section 22A.
T. Harish Rao questioned why the lands were added to the prohibited list when the Urban Land Ceiling Act had been scrapped in 2008. He said thousands of Government Orders (G.Os) had been issued to include properties—some of them exempted earlier—under the restricted category, affecting residents in Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal districts.
- Alleged exclusions included: HMDA and HUDA lands, and properties earlier covered by exemptions.
- District figures cited: approximately 7,500 lands in Rangareddy and more than 6,000 properties in Medchal were said to have been added to the prohibited list.
- Impact: The BRS described the sudden inclusion as having pushed lakhs of poor and middle-class families—many of whom had purchased flats and plots—into distress.
Harish Rao contended that an apology alone would not rectify the harm caused, and accused ruling party leaders of demanding 30% of land value as commission, in addition to development rights, to get properties de-listed. He asked who had instructed the inclusion of the lands and warned that shifting blame to officials would not be tolerated.
Numbers and categories
Party leaders said exemptions that had been issued through various Government Orders were ignored when lands were incorporated into the prohibited list. They also claimed that thousands of G.Os were responsible for the overnight expansion of the restricted category.
| District/Category | Approx. properties added |
|---|---|
| Rangareddy | ~7,500 |
| Medchal | >6,000 |
| HMDA / HUDA lands | Included (number not specified) |
Political and civic implications
The BRS has urged the state government to immediately delist the affected properties and to cancel the orders that, they said, placed private holdings under restrictions without adequate public notice. The party framed the issue as one of moral responsibility and governance failure, calling for the minister to step down.
For owners of affected properties, the addition to the prohibited list could complicate registration, sale or development of land. Party leaders said these administrative changes were disrupting the lives of ordinary citizens—those who bought flats and plots in good faith—and generating widespread anxiety.
No response from the Revenue Ministry or the state government was available at the time of the protest. The protest in Malkajgiri highlighted tensions between political parties over land policy and governance decisions that directly affect property markets and urban development in and around Hyderabad.
The matter raises questions about the legal and administrative processes used to update the prohibited list under Section 22A and the transparency of the Government Orders that the BRS says were used to include properties. Party leaders demanded clarity on who authorised the inclusions and urged immediate remedial action to protect landowners.
The unfolding dispute will be closely watched by residents, developers and urban planners across Telangana, particularly in Hyderabad’s suburbs where land records and exemptions dating back to the Urban Land Ceiling regime remain complex and contested.
