Hyderabad: Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy on Monday said the state govt has been resolving issues related to prohibited properties on a fast-track basis, with 90% of the 980 calls received on the toll-free helpline already resolved. He said two FIRs had been registered against individuals who allegedly produced fake memos and district collectors’ letters to get govt land registered in their names. The minister also urged people not to believe misinformation being spread by opposition parties regarding 22-A prohibited properties.Addressing a news conference at the secretariat, the minister said that while there had been over 300 pending registrations due to prohibition-related issues, 98% had been cleared, with only 12 to 13 registrations remaining pending. He also detailed the nature of various categories of land in the state and dismissed rumours that lakhs of acres of private land had been included in the 22-A prohibited properties list.Ponguleti said the primary objective of Section 22-A was to protect govt land and public assets from being diverted to private individuals or real estate interests.Citing examples, he said that in survey no. 403 of Jubilee Hills, only two plots within the survey area, which spans around 1,280 acres, were meant to be on the prohibited list. He explained that while records were uploaded earlier in compliance with high court directions, the entire survey number was mentioned, resulting in the residences of the chief minister and the minister himself being shown on the prohibited list. The error was subsequently identified and corrected, he said.Referring to Potireddypally revenue village in Sangareddy district, Ponguleti said claims had been created over certain parcels of land by showing assignments allegedly made before 1958, despite the absence of supporting govt records, and the lands were subsequently transferred.He also cited Annaram village in Gummadidala mandal of Sangareddy district. While survey no. 172 is govt land and adjacent survey no. 173 is private land, some individuals allegedly obtained permissions in the name of survey no. 173 but carried out construction on govt land in survey no. 172. To protect govt land, the latter was placed under the 22-A prohibited list, he said.Giving another example from Parvatapur village in Medchal district, the minister said land disputes had arisen because identical survey numbers had been assigned to both the main revenue village and a neighbouring hamlet. He said the survey numbers would be reorganised properly and that a comprehensive survey would provide a permanent solution to such issues.In Maheshwaram mandal, he said a survey number covering 22 acres included two acres of Bhoodan land. However, a passbook had been issued for the entire 22 acres. As the two acres donated under the Bhoodan scheme could not be separately identified, the entire extent was placed on the prohibited list, he explained.The minister said records relating to Bhoodan, assigned and govt lands would be examined on a case-by-case basis and justice would be done to genuine title holders.On the issue of fake memos, the Revenue minister said officials in Medchal district had identified a forged memo purportedly bearing the signature of the district collector and dated April 22, 2026, along with a fake certificate allegedly issued in the name of a special deputy collector and dated June 2, 2026. These documents were reportedly used to seek land registration. He said he had directed officials to register FIRs against those involved.On Urban Land CeilingThe minister said the govt would take a policy decision within a few days regarding issues related to the Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) Act in the state. He also said that if the principal opposition party demanded it, the govt would order an SIT probe into the Paigah lands issue (CS-7 and CS-14).The minister explained issues relating to ULC clearances in Nadargul in Rangareddy district and parts of Medchal-Malkajgiri district. He said govt orders and related documents pertaining to lands that had received ULC clearance were being uploaded online to help resolve the issues.He said it was natural for lands for which ULC applications had not been submitted or clearance had not been obtained, to remain on the prohibited list. Landowners who had obtained ULC clearance would face no difficulty, and the govt would examine and clear their cases upon submission of the necessary documents. However, he said it was incorrect to claim ownership of govt land as private land without obtaining ULC clearance.
