CAG: 12,000 acres of assigned land in Telangana in squatters’ possession

HYDERABAD: About 12,000 acres of assigned land has fallen into the clutches of land sharks in eight districts of Telangana. The comptroller and auditor general (CAG), in its latest report, said the land worth Rs 1,096 crore (as per the market value) is in the possession of unauthorised persons in 322 villages encompassing eight districts.
The CAG (report No. 2 of 2020) said the chief commissioner of land administration (CCLA) had failed to monitor resumption of the assigned land from these unauthorised persons and also found fault with revenue officials on land management and allocation.

Interestingly, as per the board of revenue’s standing orders, the land should have been classified as assignable and non-assignable by the government but the CCLA does not have data on the land. “While the CCLA did not offer specific remarks, tahsildars of the mandals said land classification was done 60 years ago (1954-55) as per khasra pahani (revenue records),” the CAG report said.
The state government had recently launched a probe into the alleged encroachment of assigned land by former minister Eatala Rajender in Atchampet and Hakimpet villages of Medak district. The district collector submitted a report to the government that Jamuna Hatcheries owned by family members of Eatala had encroached upon 66 acres, which was denied by the company later.
The CAG said it sought replies from the tahsildars on the alleged encroachment and resumption of assigned land from land grabbers or those who purchased the land from farmers illegally. The tahsildars informed the CAG that they had sent proposals to the government for reassignment of resumed land to the present occupier and orders are awaited.
The CCLA is supposed to monitor utilisation of land by allottees, see if the land is used for its intended purposes and take action for resumption of land in case of violation of terms of land alienation. “But our audit reveals the CCLA did not maintain a comprehensive record of land alienations and assignment proposals viz., applications received, processed and submitted to Telangana State Land Management Authority (TSLMA) and further submission to the government for approval,” the CAG said.
A land bank or database was not established as envisaged in the land allotment policy in the absence of which audit could only review land alienation or assignment records based on the government orders available in the website and files produced by the office of CCLA, the CAG said.
The CAG claimed that the CCLA accepted their observations and promised that all procedures would be followed scrupulously.