Revenue officials look other way as sharks gobble up government lands in Mahbubnagar

Mahbubnagar: Even while the hills, stone-laden bushy terrains of government lands along with some forest lands are being freely encroached upon and laid real-estate layouts, the revenue department officials across erstwhile Mahbubnagar district are turning a blind eye against the encroachers for the reasons well know to them.

Take the instance of a recent case where the hilly terrain near the Boyapally gate village on the outskirts of Mahbubnagar district, many have cut the hilly areas to make plots and with connivance of the Revenue department officials and also chalked out plots are registered to the public.

In fact, all the hills, and government lands with stone terrain are notified to be as government lands. But some real-estate mafia leaders in connivance of the revenue department officials are using the loopholes of officials' rules and regulations are making big bucks by selling the plots on the hilly regions.

The two hilly terrains alongside the highway connecting Mahbubnagar and Nawabpet mandal near Boyapally village have been completely encroached upn and today there is nothing left but open plots in place of once densely forested area. "A few years ago, this area was full of high trees and it resembled the forest. But today, due to increased encroachment these hills are completely flattened," said a resident of Boyapally gate. It is said that a few years ago, this hilly terrain land with an extent of 32.15 acres of government land was allocated to various purposes. Of that, 13 acres of land has been allocated for burial grounds at 3 different places; however, there are no burial grounds on that big scale as shown in the revenue department records.

Another 5 acres of government land is being registered for endowment department, but there is no clear demarcation for the same. For mission bhageeratha project revenue department officials have shown 3 acres of land and other 3 acres of land for a residential school. Overall 25 acres of land has been allocated for various purposes and still about 7 acres of land is being shown as left over government land.

However, even in this land some people along with the support of local leaders have eyed to grab it and people are building huts overnight with an aim to encroach the costly land.

"The land cost in Boyapally village areas has shot up to Rs 5 lakh per acre. This has now awaken the real-estate mafia and as the government revenue department officials have failed to demarcate the allocated land with detailed boundaries, the real-estate mafia is taking advantage of this and encroaching the lands and selling it to gullible people for lump sum," said another person from Boyapally.

However, the thasildars in Mahbubnagar have taken cognisance of the situation and have promised that they would not spare anyone whoever is resorting to encroachment of the government lands. "We will take strict action against the encroachers of government and land and will conduct a ground level survey and demarcate all the lands," said Venkatesh, tahsildar, Mahabubnagar.