Deputy Collector suspended in Housing Board land scam

Ponguleti orders stringent action against officials involved in land grab

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Telangana Revenue, Housing and Information & Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy has announced strict action against government officials allegedly involved in encroaching upon government land and facilitating illegal registrations. He said officials responsible for safeguarding public property had misused their positions during the previous BRS regime.

A major land scam came to light during the identification of Housing Board land for the construction of Indiramma houses in the Hyderabad metropolitan region. Following a preliminary inquiry, Deputy Collector Ramu Naik was suspended for his alleged involvement in illegal land transactions and registrations. He had served as Land Acquisition Officer in the Telangana Housing Board on deputation between 2013 and 2018.

The inquiry found that a 33.53-square-yard Housing Board plot located between Gates 5 and 6 of the High Court area, currently valued at over Rs 2 lakh per square yard, was allegedly registered illegally on February 17, 2018. The land was reportedly registered in the name of Subia Sultana, wife of former Housing Board work inspector Iftakhar Ahmed, who had earlier been dismissed from service. Officials said the registration amount was never deposited with the Housing Board.

The minister ordered an investigation into the role of the then Charminar Sub-Registrar and directed officials to initiate steps for cancelling the illegal sale deeds. The land was later sold to another individual in April 2025, and that transaction is also under scrutiny.

Ponguleti said complaints regarding Ramu Naik’s alleged land dealings had existed since 2017 but were not acted upon. Investigations are continuing into suspected illegal registrations involving properties in Vijayanagar Colony, Tuljaguda, Lakshmiguda and Mahboob Ganj. The role of sub-registrars in these transactions is also being examined.

He said Ramu Naik could face permanent dismissal after the inquiry. Superintendent Vivekanand has been dismissed, while another superintendent, Bona Naik, has been suspended. The minister warned that officials involved in land grabbing, fake documentation and misuse of authority would face both criminal and departmental action.