Is plea to HMDA on assigned lands in Dundigal, Bowrampet motivated?

Dundigal: Legislators Vivekananda, Sambipur Raju and MP Malla Reddy have represented to HMDA Commssioner Chiranjeevulu seeking justice to farmers with regard to the assigned lands in Dundigal and Bowrampet areas of Qutbullapur constituency.

The MLA, MLC and MP pleaded for development of the assigned lands in survey no 453 and 454 in Qutbullapur and in Bowrampet (survey no 166) which the government had recently taken over. They stated that the farmers have been cultivating the assigned lands for years. If the lands were developed those who lost lands in the takeover would benefit and the adjoining areas would get a boost.

However, there was a lingering doubt whether the people’s representatives were showing undue interest in the lands which were suspected to have been occupied. It is well known that the assigned lands on the outskirts of Hyderabad are under the control of the land mafia and people’s representatives. 

After the formation of Telangana state, the government had taken back the assigned lands from corporate, but adopted a negligent attitude. About 200 of 400 acres of these lands, worth crores in Qutbullapur and Bowrampet, have been encroached, say local residents. 

There is also evidence that the issue has been taken to the notice of the Medchal collector. Information is available that the land in survery no 166 has been allotted to ex-servicemen and that some people’s representatives have purchased them with NOCs issued by the collector. However, some RTI petitioners contend that there has been no reply, since two years to a poser how the NOCs were issued. Some big builders reportedly managed to secure HMDA permission for some ventures and have done registrations and launched ventures with duplex houses.

A person has filed RTI on the issue two years back. There has been no reply from officials till date on the occupation of the assigned lands, wrong NOCs and the RTI Act case. It is not clear whether the lands which are hilly are fit for cultivation. Interestingly, three months back Vivekananda had convened a review meeting calling for recovery of the occupied assigned lands by the government.

By Pathi Madhav