AP govt removes five land categories from 22-A prohibited list
The Andhra Pradesh government has removed five categories of land from the prohibited properties list under Section 22-A of the Registration Act, providing major relief to farmers and landowners.
Revenue, Registration, and Stamps Minister Anagani Satya Prasad announced the decision on Thursday, saying the move was intended to protect genuine ownership rights and resolve long-pending issues faced by landowners.
Private patta lands have been fully removed from the 22-A list. Officials have been instructed to take suo motu action to delete such lands once applications are received.
Lands allotted to serving and retired defence personnel, freedom fighters, and political victims will also be cleared from the prohibited list, subject to verification. In the case of defence personnel, a recommendation from the District Sainik Welfare Officer will be sufficient.
For deletion, landowners may submit any one of several documents, including 10(1) registers, adangals, SFA records, old assignment registers, DR files, Record of Holdings, registration deeds, 8-A registers, or DKT pattas. Revenue officials have been told not to seek additional documents or harass applicants.
Where disputes involve only a portion of land in a survey number, authorities have been directed to subdivide the land. Only the disputed portion will remain on the prohibited list, while the rest will be cleared.
Decisions on four other categories, including conditional patta lands, service inam lands, and certain dotted lands, will be taken after discussions in the Group of Ministers. A final decision on pre-hold lands is expected within two months.
Declaring the year as the ‘Year of Land Reforms’, the Minister alleged large-scale irregularities during the previous YSRCP government and said investigations were underway. Those found responsible would face action, he said.
Reaffirming the government’s stand, Mr. Satya Prasad said protecting the rights of farmers and landowners remained its top priority.