The Janagaon district administration has uncovered a major land scam worth Rs 450 crore and resumed 163 acres of government land from private possession in Salvador village, Bachannapet mandal, on Tuesday.
Details of the Scam
The 163 acres of prime land, classified as 'Gairan' (public common), had been illegally transferred into private hands through a chain of fraudulent acts spanning over two decades, officials said.
District Collector Sandeep Kumar Jha told TOI that physical possession of about 84 acres of the principal occupied extent was taken over at the site through a detailed panchnama on Tuesday. The entire survey number now stands resumed and vested in the Telangana government.
How the Fraud Was Executed
Officials explained that the land, classified as 'Gairan' in the settlement record (Sethwar) and protected under the prohibited-property register, was initially taken through registered sale deeds executed by persons who held no title to it. This was followed by mutations and the issuance of pass books and title deeds based on those fraudulent deeds.
The diversion was then given a semblance of legality through an earlier order by some officers, who treated the government 'Gairan' land as private 'patta' land. The land was removed from the prohibited register, and almost its entire extent was converted to non-agricultural use.
High Court Intervention
The Telangana High Court directed a fresh inquiry into the nature of the land and how 'Gairan' land was converted into private patta. Following the court's directions, District Collector Sandeep Kumar Jha conducted a thorough inquiry, verified documents and survey records, and confirmed that the entire survey number was government 'Gairan' land.
Action Taken
The collector declared the chain of sale deeds, mutations, pass books, and title deeds void. He cancelled the 'patta' issued over the government land, recalled the earlier order and its consequential proceedings, including the removal from the prohibited register and the non-agricultural conversion, and resumed the land.
Now, the district administration has corrected the Record of Rights. The survey number has been re-included in the prohibited-property register, and the registration of any document related to this land has been blocked to prevent further alienation from the government.
Future Steps
“The recovery of the land is only the first step. The earlier order and the fraud behind it caused a grave loss to the government, and the matter is being carried to its logical conclusion so that responsibility is fixed and the public interest is fully protected,” the district collector said.
