Harish demands Ponguleti’s resignation

1. He must take moral responsibility for the error regarding prohibited lands
2. It is not right to shift the blame of the CM and ministers onto officials

People are being put to hardship in the name of prohibited lands only to gain control over Ranga Reddy and Medchal districts. people are being asked to give 30 per cent of the land and also development rights to get their lands removed from the prohibited list

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Former Minister Harish Rao demanded that Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy resign from the post of Revenue Minister, taking moral responsibility in the prohibited lands issue. “They have committed a big mistake and are now saying sorry… Will saying sorry end the people’s suffering? Who actually included the lands in the list? Who ordered their inclusion?” he questioned. He challenged them, asking whether they would escape by arbitrarily including lands in the list and then naming officials.  He said allegations are emerging that people are being asked to give 30 per cent of the land and also development rights to get their lands removed from the prohibited list. He criticised this as a terrible situation prevailing in Telangana. He said it is not right for Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy to act as if he has committed no mistake and shift the blame onto officials. 

Speaking as the chief guest at a protest programme held in Malkajgiri on Tuesday, demanding the immediate cancellation of the 22A prohibited lands list, Harish Rao said the attitude of Revanth Reddy has become like a stone in the hands of a madman. The government, which should be solving problems, is creating new ones, he ridiculed.  “If colonies after colonies are included in the 22 prohibited list overnight, where should the people go? Should the people have to wear out their shoes running around officials for the mistakes committed by the government?” he asked.  He alleged that lands that had received exemptions through 7,500 GOs in Ranga Reddy, more than 6,000 lands in Medchal, and even HMDA and HUDA lands have been included in the prohibited list.

He criticised that people are being put to hardship in the name of prohibited lands only to gain control over Ranga Reddy and Medchal districts.  He revealed that people do not even know whether their land is theirs or is in the prohibited list until they go to sell it. Not one or two, but lakhs of plots and houses have been included in the list, he said.  Citing the example of Ashok from Tilaknagar, who went to the Sub-Registrar’s office to sell his 450-square-yard house and only then learnt that it was in the prohibited list (he had already booked tickets to America for the next day), Harish Rao asked: “What is Ashok’s situation now? Should he go to America or not? Should he take up the job there or not?”  Officials should not become scapegoats for mistakes… 

He also alleged that the government is acting in a conspiratorial manner in the case of Kalyana Lakshmi and Shadi Mubarak schemes. He criticised that the government deliberately neglected the matter by not even filing a counter in the court.  He said that during KCR’s tenure, Rs 2,600 crore was allocated for Kalyana Lakshmi and Shadi Mubarak, whereas the Congress government has allocated only ₹800 crore. He ridiculed that Kalyana Lakshmi has now become “Santana Lakshmi” — the assistance that should be given at the time of marriage is now coming after children are born.  He pointed out that Ponnam Prabhakar is blaming officials in the Kalyana Lakshmi issue, and Ponguleti is also blaming officials in the prohibited lands issue. “But you commit the mistakes… should the people alone file applications?” he asked.  “Since you yourselves included the lands in the prohibited list, you yourselves should remove them. Remove them the same way you included them,” he said.

He demanded that lands be removed from the prohibited list without collecting applications from the people and without making them run around offices.  He criticised that the toll-free number set up by the government is also not working properly and asked, “What kind of cheating government is this?”  Referring to reports that even the CM’s residence falls under the 22 limit, he asked: “If the CM’s house is also in the same situation… Did you say sorry to the Chief Minister, Ponguleti?”  He demanded that details of the lands included in the 22 prohibited list and the lands removed from it be placed in the public domain, and that the government release a white paper on the issue. He made it clear that there should be complete transparency in the removal of the 22 list, and only the lands of genuine land owners should be removed. 

He warned that if illegally occupied or disputed lands are removed under the guise of the 22 list, BRS will not remain silent.  “Is it possible to change lists on such a large scale across the state without the orders of the CM and ministers? If you commit mistakes as they say, ultimately you will get caught… You will have to suffer… Work straightforwardly… Do not become scapegoats after committing mistakes,” he advised the officials.  He demanded that Revanth Reddy, taking responsibility for this statewide affair, immediately remove the concerned minister from his post. He said that if the CM does not take action against the mistakes committed by the minister, the suspicion among the people that both of them together have conspired in this land deal will only grow stronger.