Land sharks’ encroachment of Govt land in Hyderabad

The Hyderabad district administration has failed in its obligation to protect an 8.13-acre government land at IS Sadan in Saidabad mandal which has been encroached upon by land sharks. This comes at a time when the district administration is mulling over measures to be taken to protect government property worth hundreds of crores by constructing compound walls. These land parcels are estimated to cost a whopping Rs.80 crore.

Supreme Court rules in govt’s favour:

As per revenue records, this land parcel is located in Survey Nos. 45 and 60 at IS Sadan at Santosh Nagar area in Saidabad mandal. This land was embroiled in a legal tangle regarding ownership issues for an extended period of time. It was ultimately recovered by the Hyderabad district administration after the Supreme Court ruled in its favour. Inspite of the verdict being in its favour, the district administration was at its wits end when it came to the actual possession of the land in question.

Land sharks resist construction of compound wall:

Incidentally, the efforts of the district administration to construct a compound wall around this land parcel has been met with stiff resistance. This is because land sharks and the local people of this area are threatening the administration with dire consequences if they go ahead with constructing the compound wall. Earlier there was an incident where the then tehasildar of Saidabad was at the receiving end of the attacks from land sharks, thus causing panic among land revenue officials.

Police turn a deaf ear to pleas of officials:

With the situation turning sensitive, the locals have already encroached upon land of around one acre in this land parcel and have installed 30 temporary shelters. The district administration officials had repeatedly send letters to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) of Santosh Nagar seeking police protection in helping to construct the compound wall. However, inspite of repeated pleas, there has been no response from the police force.

Evacuation of residents suggested:

Considering that the land is between two religious institutions, revenue officials have a tough time whenever they visit the land. This is because people belonging to a particular religious faith intimidate the officials against constructing a compound wall around the land. This has forced the district administrators to post 10 revenue officials at the site to prevent further encroachment.  Inorder to resolve the issue, the Rural Development Officer  (RDO) has suggested that all the families in the area be evacuated to another area so that the police force could provide the necessary assistance. However, due to the impending elections starting on December 12th, it is unlikely that the police force will be deployed there immediately.