Telangana Prohibited Land List Expands by 14 Lakh Acres to 98 Lakh Acres

HYDERABAD — The total extent of prohibited land in Telangana under Section 22A has risen to 98,02,544 acres, marking an increase of 14 lakh acres compared to the 84 lakh acres recorded in 2018, according to the latest figures released by Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy.

The sharp rise has triggered controversy and confusion among property owners, as the state government has not yet disclosed survey numbers or a detailed breakdown of additions made during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime between 2018 and 2023.

According to revenue department data recorded on the Bhu Bharati portal, Telangana has a total of 2,49,97,312 acres of recorded land. Of this, 98,02,544 acres are categorised under Section 22A prohibitory lists, restricting them from general transactions.

The prohibited land includes 42,61,531.32 acres of forest lands, 24,63,930.05 acres of assigned lands, 16,11,622.35 acres of government lands, and 12,04,314.04 acres of water bodies and shikam lands. Additionally, public assets on government lands cover 1,50,749.62 acres, endowment lands span 49,143.17 acres, roads account for 45,875.13 acres, and other categories comprise 15,378.35 acres. Another 3,73,524 acres of agricultural land remain disputed between the government and private khatadars.

The issue traces back to the land records purification exercise conducted between September 2017 and February 2018, when approximately 84 lakh acres were placed on the Section 22A list ahead of the Dharani system rollout. The revenue department reported that 23,136 acres have been removed from the list since 2023–24 following inquiries on citizen applications.

However, affected land owners have expressed dissatisfaction over the wrongful inclusion of private properties. While Srinivas Reddy offered a public apology for erroneous entries and maintained that no new lands were added after the Congress government assumed office in December 2023, property owners have demanded immediate rectification of survey errors and full disclosure of BRS-era records.