Housing some of the city’s most expensive lands, Shaikpet mandal is turning into a cash cow of sorts for the government, which is hoping to mop up sizeable revenue by regularising encroached land in GHMC area.
The mandal has so far earned Rs. 4.8 crore from just 51 applicants who have applied for regularisation of buildings on encroached lands measuring more than 125 square yards. Shaikpet’s contribution is more than any of Hyderabad’s 16 mandals and nearly half the amount the district earned under GO 59, which regularises encroached lands for a penalty, in the last one month.
The main reason for high earnings is that it comprises uptown areas of Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills besides, Shaikpet itself, which has witnessed a sharp rise in land prices over the last decade. Applications have come from all parts of the mandal, as officials say the government’s threat of action against encroachers if they fail to regularise, has had an effect on upmarket population.
“Besides the inherently high land values, we have also been enforcing legislation by issuing notices and threatening encroachers with legal action. This has moved the upper-middle class population to respond favourably,” said K. Chandrakala, Tahsildar of Shaikpet mandal.
While she denied that the government had set any revenue targets, she expects around 1,000 to 2,000 applications under GO 59. This indicates that at least 25 to 50 acres of government land in parcels of 125 square yards or more lie encroached in the mandal.
The government on Friday revised GO 59 to attract more people towards the regularisation scheme by lowering penalty amounts and offering payment instalments. With nearly a month to go before the government stops accepting regularisation applications under GO 59, officials are optimistic of improved response.
Fencing of vacant land
Meanwhile, Ranga Reddy district administration has begun fencing vacant government lands in Quthbullapur, Malkajigiri, Serlingampally and Rajendranagar mandals.
Application process for regularisation of encroachments under GO 58 (penalty-free regularisation of encroachments smaller than 125 square yards) ended on Saturday.
Hyderabad district administration has received 61,662 applications for regularisation, while Ranga Reddy district administration received 1.51 lakh applications.
