Union minister of state Bandi Sanjay Kumar has directed officials to complete the review of records and ground survey of enemy properties under the Custodian of Enemy Property for India (CEPI) by the end of March.
Hyderabad: Union minister of state Bandi Sanjay Kumar has directed officials to complete the review of records and ground survey of enemy properties under the Custodian of Enemy Property for India (CEPI) by the end of March.
At a review meeting on Saturday, he assessed the status of enemy properties in Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Kothagudem and Vikarabad districts. He specifically sought details on properties in Rangareddy district, particularly in Kotwalguda and Miyapur, where hundreds of acres are classified as enemy property.
Rangareddy district collector C. Narayana Reddy provided a survey-wise update, stating that some properties had been encroached upon and others were occupied by farmers.
The minister stressed the need to protect government land from encroachment while ensuring justice for farmers who have had properties in their possession for years. To strengthen oversight, the government has decided to establish a CEPI branch office in Hyderabad to serve Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. Currently, enemy property matters in these states are being handled by the Mumbai office.
Enemy properties were designated following the 1962 Sino-Indian War and the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971. The Indian government seized assets belonging to individuals who had migrated to Pakistan or China and obtained citizenship there. There are approximately 13,000 such properties across 21 states and two union territories, with a combined market value of thousands of crores.
Under Section 8A of the Enemy Property Act, the central government has the authority to sell these properties. However, many are either illegally occupied or tied up in legal disputes. The review meeting, chaired by Bandi Sanjay Kumar, focused on resolving these issues.
The meeting was attended by CEPI officials from Delhi and Mumbai, Telangana revenue principal secretary and CCLA Naveen Mittal, the minister’s personal secretary Andra Vamsi, Rangareddy collector C. Narayana Reddy and revenue officials from Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Vikarabad districts.
