Telangana Govt cold shoulders task force panel

Panel chairman SK Sinha is now in a dilemma as to who should be handed over the important files which nailed a number of Revenue officials and politicians for land encroachment in the Hyderabad.

​Hyderabad: The Task Force Committee, headed by S K Sinha, formed to bring to light the encroachments of land in Hyderabad and its surroundings has been facing non-cooperation from the government.

The tenure of the panel was expired in December and so far there was no news from the government on extending its tenure in spite of the fact that there was so much to unearth in the land encroachments in the city.

The staff of the panel was not paid salaries since December and even the supply of newspapers was stopped to the office of the panel. The staff has been trying hard in vain to take the matter to the notice of the government.

The panel, which was formed way back in 2014, has, so far, unearthed illegal encroachments of land worth several thousands of crores of rupees.

S K Sinha, retired IAS officer, who has been heading the panel, wrote to the government in September 2016 seeking clarity over the extension of the tenure of the committee. He tried in vain to obtain an appointment of the Chief Minister to take the matter to his notice.

SK Sinha is now in a dilemma as to who should be handed over the important files which nailed a number of Revenue officials and politicians for land encroachment in the city and its surroundings.

He is afraid that the files would be destroyed unless they are in safe hands. He is thinking of handing over the chamber containing the important files to the Chief Secretary after duly sealing it.

The state government, which had appointed a secretary, a PA, a senior assistant, an attender, a deputy Tahsildar and an advocate on contract basis, had not extended their contract. One of the staff members lamented that they were not sure whether they were still with the committee or not.

The committee has in its several reports nailed the role of several Revenue officials in alienating the government land in the limits of the city and its surroundings. The committee suggested criminal action against the officials from deputy Tahsildars to the deputy collectors in the huge scam.

A top official expressed doubts over the Revenue department in attempting to bury the reports of the committee and trying hard not to extend its tenure. “Unless there are radical changes in the Revenue department, the land alienation would not stop,” he added.

He recalled the hands of a joint collector and a deputy Tahsildar who worked in Mahbubnagar in misusing the digital key to change the names of land owners in even the online records. These officials have been striving to stop the extension of the committee, he alleged.