The farmers who were assigned lands in the past by successive governments are in a dilemma on whether to surrender their lands to the authorities or not.
The lands of these farmers were spread across the Hyderabad surroundings under Hyderabad Metro Development Authority (HMDA) limits. Once, these are the lands in villages and now the HMDA has spread to this extent making these lands costlier. The land rates are anywhere between ₹2 crore and ₹5 crore per acre.
As these lands are assigned to farmers, maybe three four decades ago in some cases, the families of farmers can only enjoy them by cultivating but they can never sell them as it was illegal. In view of the city spreading fast in all directions, the officials have decided to pool lands from the farmers and make a residential lay-out so that encumbrance free lands will be available to the buyer.
This will offer win -win situation for assigned land farmers, buyers who want to own plots in HMDA layouts and for the government with additional revenue.
During last week the revenue officials of Sangareddy district held a meeting with assigned farmers of Arutla village where they proposed to take back assigned lands and offered them some developed house sites in lieu of that. Depending upon the area a decision will be made on extent of allotment of house sites – between 250 yards and 400 yards. The officials are making it clear to the assignees that they can never sell these lands and at any point of time the government has the right to take back the lands. They are telling that this will be a golden opportunity for them to become owners of house sites developed by HMDA which they can sell if required.
“We are depending on these lands for the past several years and making a living out of these lands. What we have to do if these land were acquired by the government? How we can be employed as we know only farming?” asked Begari Jayamma of Arutla village, who fears that they will be on roads once the lands were taken back by the government.
“There is some positive response as well from the assignee farmers. There about 130 villages in Sangareddy district alone in which HMDA was spread. We are trying to get back unused lands for this purpose. If the government acquires lands back, they will be paid government rate of ₹5 lakh to ₹6 lakh per acre whereas these developed house plots fetch them anywhere between ₹20 lakh and ₹30 lakh in open market. At Jinnaram about 100 farmers came forward to surrender about 80 acres of land,” said a revenue officer involved in the process, on condition of anonymity.
