Hyderabad: Three major departments — registration and stamps (R&S), municipal administration, and panchayat raj — are at odds over the registration of open plots in unapproved layouts and unauthorised constructions.
The R&S department has accused the other two departments of blocking the registration of open plots in unapproved layouts, despite the fact that they collect layout regularisation scheme (LRS) fees from landowners. This standoff has significantly impacted the revenue generation of the registration department in recent years, particularly as the state govt has set an ambitious target of 18,000 crore for 2024-25, while the current registration revenue stands at 15,000 crore.
If the govt permits the registration department to register open plots and flats in buildings constructed before 2020, it would result in a substantial revenue boost for the department, while also providing relief to millions of property owners in the state. Nearly 25 lakh people applied for the LRS five years ago, and although processing began a couple of months ago, it is moving slowly.
A few years ago, the Telangana govt had instructed the registration department not to register new open plots in layouts without approval from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority or civic bodies, with exceptions made for older layouts where more than 50% of plots were sold, as well as plots where registration had already taken place. Similarly, the govt halted the registration of flats in unauthorised buildings, allowing registration only if the plot was regularized under the LRS.
Recently, the registration department sent a letter to the municipal and panchayat raj departments, highlighting gaps in their respective Acts and sought permission to proceed with registrations. Govt sources said there is no clear definition for ‘new plot’ or ‘sub-division of plots’ in either the Municipal or Panchayat Raj Acts nor is there a specified cut-off date in the 2020 orders that stopped registrations.
“Since there is no definition in the Act regarding new plots and no cut-off date for layouts and buildings, the cut-off date for treating plots as ‘new’ should be on or after Aug 26, 2020. This means any layout, plot, or building prior to this date should be eligible for registration without requiring layout permission or regularisation,” explained a district registrar from the registration department.
He further suggested that the govt should allow the registration of plots in layouts where more than 50% of the plots were already sold by developers.
“The issue is that many building owners, whose properties were constructed decades ago, do not have the necessary permission copies, and civic bodies have not maintained records. ,” said a deputy inspector general of registration.
The R&S department has accused the other two departments of blocking the registration of open plots in unapproved layouts, despite the fact that they collect layout regularisation scheme (LRS) fees from landowners. This standoff has significantly impacted the revenue generation of the registration department in recent years, particularly as the state govt has set an ambitious target of 18,000 crore for 2024-25, while the current registration revenue stands at 15,000 crore.
If the govt permits the registration department to register open plots and flats in buildings constructed before 2020, it would result in a substantial revenue boost for the department, while also providing relief to millions of property owners in the state. Nearly 25 lakh people applied for the LRS five years ago, and although processing began a couple of months ago, it is moving slowly.
A few years ago, the Telangana govt had instructed the registration department not to register new open plots in layouts without approval from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority or civic bodies, with exceptions made for older layouts where more than 50% of plots were sold, as well as plots where registration had already taken place. Similarly, the govt halted the registration of flats in unauthorised buildings, allowing registration only if the plot was regularized under the LRS.
Recently, the registration department sent a letter to the municipal and panchayat raj departments, highlighting gaps in their respective Acts and sought permission to proceed with registrations. Govt sources said there is no clear definition for ‘new plot’ or ‘sub-division of plots’ in either the Municipal or Panchayat Raj Acts nor is there a specified cut-off date in the 2020 orders that stopped registrations.
“Since there is no definition in the Act regarding new plots and no cut-off date for layouts and buildings, the cut-off date for treating plots as ‘new’ should be on or after Aug 26, 2020. This means any layout, plot, or building prior to this date should be eligible for registration without requiring layout permission or regularisation,” explained a district registrar from the registration department.
He further suggested that the govt should allow the registration of plots in layouts where more than 50% of the plots were already sold by developers.
“The issue is that many building owners, whose properties were constructed decades ago, do not have the necessary permission copies, and civic bodies have not maintained records. ,” said a deputy inspector general of registration.
