Hyderabad: With an aim to generate revenues in the corona pandemic, the government unveiled new Land Regularisation Scheme for the unapproved and illegal layouts in all Municipalities including GHMC and HMDA limits and also all Gram Panchyats across the State. In Municipalities alone, government has identified 1110 illegal layouts . The regularisation of layouts would help generate revenues which required for developmental programmes in the local bodies. The government also fixed regularisation fee to illegal plots.According to the orders issues by Municipal Administration and Urban Development and Panchayat Raj departments the scheme will be applicable on open plots in unauthorised and illegal layouts in all Urban Local Bodies and Panchayats. Only those layouts and sub division of plots with registered sale deeds existing as on August 26, 2020 will only be considered for regularisation. Applicants should file online applications by October 15 along with prescribed fee amount. The government also announced basic plot regularisation charges in each category.The open plots, which are located in lake, water bodies, nala and full tank level of any lake, pond, chervu or kunta and shikam land; lands earmarked for industrial use, open space, recreational in the master plans will not be considered for regularisation. The order also said that if the developers of illegal layouts do not come forward for regularisation, building permission, regular water supply connection and services like drainage and sewerage would not be extended to their plots. All the LRS amount will be deposited in a separate escrow account and utilise only for improvement of amenities in the local bodies.
Telangana’s Registration and Stamps Department recent ban on regularisation of unapproved layouts has been welcomed by many. Real estate developers from Hyderabad point out that this will help in preventing the haphazard development of the city caused due to the mushrooming of illegal layouts.
However, they also point out that the State government should now bring in a new Land Regularization Scheme (LRS) to regularise unapproved and illegal layouts developed under Gram Panchayats and new municipalities, where the scheme was never taken up.”The ban on regularisation of unapproved layouts is a welcome move as it will help control the business of illegal layouts and will hurt the interests of only those people who have been involved in this illegal trade,” said Telangana Real Estate Developers Association (TREDA) treasurer K Sreedhar Reddy.Telangana Developers Association president GV Rao also welcomed the move. “It will prove essential for urban development in the State and help in streamlining the city’s growth and urban sprawl,” he said.
The previous LRS, however, was only initiated in HMDA limits and municipalities to allow unapproved layouts to get regularised. “Gram Panchayats, on the other hand, had no such opportunity. It would be good if a one-time LRS is initiated for Gram Panchayats as well,” said Reddy.
Unapproved layouts are a serious problem in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) limits, with people selling plots to gullible customers by lying to them that the layout has been approved by the HMDA.
Last year, when the HMDA conducted a special 12-day drive, they identified more than 700 such layouts. Unapproved layouts are high in number especially in Ranga Reddy district, which is home to Hyderabad’s IT corridor. On the HMDA website, there are names of 474 unapproved layouts from the district.
