Telangana to take over unused lands

Hyderabad: With Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao announcing in the Legislative Assembly that the government was considering selling government lands to mobilise over Rs 8,000 crore needed to waive crop loan arrears of farmers at one go, the Telangana State Land Management Authority has swung into action to take over unutilised lands in Shaikpet mandal covering Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills.

The panel headed by the chief secretary has recommended that the government take over the unutilised lands.

About eight plots measuring over 1,000 sq. yard each have been identified. These were allotted by governments in undivided AP to various firms but are still lying unused. Each plot is now worth about Rs 10 crore.

Besides this, 2 acre each allotted to various newspapers in the same mandal that are worth nearly Rs 400 crore now and have been lying unutilised have also been identified and will be taken back soon.

Collectors of Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts submitted a report to the panel at Secretariat on Thursday.

Officials sources revealed that the Congress government in 2004 had leased 1,167 sq. yard for just Rs 20,000 per annum to a firm called HRD Network.

However, the firm has failed to take up any activity even after more than 10 years.

Two acres were allotted to Balaji Administrative Services Pvt Ltd, which had offered to run the Telugu daily Udayam.

And though the newspaper was closed in 1995, the land continues to remain with the firm.

In 1984, two acres each were allotted to Maharshi Publishers to run Andhra Patrika and Creative Industries Pvt Ltd to run The Guardian.

However, both failed to start the projects. The earlier management of the Telugu daily Andhra Jyothy had also secured 2 acre in Jubilee Hills in 1994.

However, the management closed the paper in 2000. Another management bought the newspaper and reopened it in 2002.

However, the land continues to remain with the old management and is lying unused.

The government is expected to issue GOs soon, asking collectors of Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy to take back the lands.