Up for sale

DESARAJU SURYA
Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government has placed a total of 1022.95 acres of "surplus" land in Ranga Reddy district (and a few pieces in Hyderabad) at the disposal of three agencies -- Hyderabad Urban Development Authority, AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation and AP Housing Board -- for "optimum utilisation of the land in the best public interest."
The said lands were formally allotted to the three agencies "for public purpose" on Saturday with a directive to the Ranga Reddy district Collector to take necessary further action. The HUDA got 384.62 acres, the APIIC 482.15 acres and the APHB 156.18 acres in the latest distribution of land to the agencies.
The government had taken over these lands under the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976 before the legislation was repealed by the state in March this year.
Bare estimates by the officials put the value of the total land at over Rs 1500 crore.
"Unless a complete physical verification of the lands is done we can't calculate the exact value. It could be more than what we estimate right now," a top official said. Besides, authorities are also required to check if any of the lands are encroached and if any litigation is pending against them.
"Optimum utilisation of the land in the best public interest" is nothing but a euphemism for "sale" of land, highly-placed official sources pointed out.
The state government which has been on a land selling spree, with the aforementioned agencies acting as its main agents, is desperately in need of funds as the current slump in the real-estate market has poured cold water on its plans to dispose of vast extents of land and mobilise a staggering Rs 13,000 crore this financial year. The APHB and the HUDA have failed to sell lands and earn enough money for the government in the first quarter of this fiscal. Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who was apprised of the situation at a recent review meeting, reportedly asked the authorities to concerned to "do whatever possible" and advised them to go for e-auctioning as the regular auction process drew dismal response. Ironically, even the e-auctioning proved to be a damp squib, going by the experience of HUDA, as there were no takers for land.
How the government agencies manage to fulfil their obligation this time, with so much land at their disposal, is to be seen.