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Telangana govt caused ‘confusion’ over 22A land list: Harish Rao

Rahul Kumar | August 18, 2026 7:23 PM CST

BRS' T Harish Rao slammed the Telangana Congress govt for adding properties to the Section 22A prohibited list, causing 'anxiety' for owners. He demanded the Revenue Minister's resignation and an immediate, transparent correction of the list.

Former Telangana Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samiti's (BRS) Deputy Floor Leader T Harish Rao said that the Congress-led Telangana government has caused "widespread confusion and anxiety" among lakhs of property owners. Rao said that the state government had added "entire colonies and large numbers of properties" under the prohibited list of Section 22A of the Indian Registration Act, which empowers the state government to prohibit the sale of any land parcel and prohibit its registration.Rao, addressing a protest in Malkajgiri demanding the immediate cancellation of the 22A prohibited lands list, said that the Congress government had created widespread confusion and anxiety among lakhs of property owners by adding entire colonies and large numbers of properties to the prohibited list without proper verification. "CM Revanth Reddy's government has become like a stone in the hands of a madman. A government that is supposed to solve people's problems is creating new problems. If entire colonies are suddenly placed under Section 22A, where should ordinary people go? Should citizens be made to run around government offices and wear out their footwear to correct mistakes made by the Government?" he asked.Harish Rao recalled that the Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) Act was repealed by the then Congress government in 2008 and that several lands subsequently became regular properties, with families living on them for decades. He questioned why an issue that had not existed for nearly 20 years was suddenly being created by the present Government. He alleged that lands covered by exemptions issued through various Government Orders, including around 7,500 lands in Rangareddy district and more than 6,000 properties in Medchal, along with Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) lands, had also been included in the prohibited list. He said the Government's actions had created serious uncertainty for people across Rangareddy, Medchal and other parts of the State."People often do not even know that their property has been placed on the prohibited list until they approach the Sub-Registrar's office to sell it. One does not know how many lakhs of houses and plots have been included in this list," the BRS leader said.

Allegations of Corruption and Demands for Investigation

He also alleged that there were serious complaints that landowners were being asked for a substantial share of land or development rights in order to have properties removed from the prohibited list. "If such allegations are true, it is an extremely serious matter. The Government must immediately order an independent investigation and establish who included these properties in the prohibited list, on whose instructions they were included and who is now removing them," he said.

Calls for Minister's Resignation

Harish Rao strongly criticised Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy for attempting to shift responsibility onto officials. "The Minister cannot say that he has no responsibility and blame officials. A major mistake has been committed, and now an apology is being offered. Will an apology solve the problems faced by thousands of families? Who added these properties to the list? Who instructed them to do so? Can properties be included arbitrarily and responsibility later be shifted to officials?" he asked.Harish Rao demanded that Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy should take moral responsibility and resign as Revenue Minister of Telangana. He also demanded that the Government immediately remove all properties that were wrongly included in the 22A prohibited list without requiring fresh applications from affected citizens and without forcing them to make repeated visits to government offices. He questioned the effectiveness of the toll-free number announced by the Revenue Department, alleging that it was not functioning properly.

Demand for Transparency and Warning to Government

Harish Rao demanded complete transparency in the 22A process and called for the Government to publish in the public domain the details of all properties added to and removed from the prohibited list. He warned that while genuine landowners must be protected, the BRS would not remain silent if the Government used the 22A review process as a means to regularise illegally occupied or disputed lands. "Let there be complete transparency. Genuine landowners should have their properties removed from the prohibited list. But if the Government uses this exercise to regularise illegally occupied or disputed lands, the BRS will not remain a silent spectator," he said.He also criticised the Congress Government over the implementation of Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak, alleging that the schemes were being deliberately weakened. According to the figures cited, Harish Rao said the BRS government had allocated around ₹2,600 crore for Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak, while the present Congress government had allocated only around ₹800 crore. "In Kalyana Lakshmi, Minister Ponnam Prabhakar says it is the officials' mistake. In the prohibited lands issue, Minister Ponguleti says it is the officials' mistake. The responsibility lies with the Government. You make the decision, but why should the people be asked to submit applications to correct it?" Harish Rao asked.

BRS Vows to Continue Fight

He said the BRS would raise the entire 22A issue in the Legislative Assembly and continue to fight on behalf of affected landowners. Harish Rao concluded by assuring citizens that the doors of the BRS Telangana Bhavan would remain open to anyone facing problems related to land, government schemes or their rights. "The Janata Garage at Telangana Bhavan is always open. Anyone facing a problem can come to us. We will stand by you. KCR fought for Telangana and sacrificed everything for the State. The BRS will continue to fight for the rights of the people of Telangana," Harish Rao said. (ANI)(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)