TG has 234 enemy properties; RR district tops the list

Hyderabad: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar has directed the officials to calculate the enemy property currently under the custody of the Custodian of Enemy Property in India (CEPI) in Telangana. He instructed them to complete the investigation of enemy properties in the districts of Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Kothagudem, and Vikarabad by the end of December and to submit a report in the first week of January. He chaired a review meeting on enemy property was held on Thursday.

Officials from CEPI Mumbai division, Telangana State Principal Secretary of Revenue CCLA Naveen Mittal, revenue divisional officials from Hyderabad, Secunderabad, and Vikarabad, including Ranga Reddy District Collector Narayana Reddy attended the meeting.

It may be mentioned here that following the Chinese invasion in 1962 and the Indo-Pak war in 1965 to 1971, the Indian government recognised properties belonging to individuals who left India for Pakistan and China as enemy property. The CEPI has been tasked with maintaining these properties. The Central government has records of approximately 13,000 enemy assets across 21 states and 2 Union Territories, with a market value in the thousands of crores. The Centre is empowered to sell these assets under Section 8(A) of the Enemy Property Act. However, many of these properties have been alienated over the years, and legal disputes are ongoing regarding others.

During a nearly two-hour review meeting, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar was briefed by officials about enemy assets in Telangana. They reported there are 234 enemy properties are in the state: 180 in Ranga Reddy, 44 in Hyderabad, 7 in Kothagudem, and 3 in Vikarabad. Most of these properties have been encroached upon, and many have structures on them. Notably, in Ranga Reddy district, valuable properties have been reported in Miyapur, Kotwal Guda, Chikkadpally (Hyderabad), Musheerabad, and the Old City.

The Union Minister ordered the formation of a special team under the supervision of CEPI to immediately examine the records of the respective properties and conduct the survey. Additionally, he asked the state government to establish a separate forum for the examination of records and conducting surveys. A joint committee was formed by both parties and instructed to complete the survey and records examination by the end of December. The Minister requested a comprehensive report on the details of enemy assets in Telangana by the first week of January. Based on this report, appropriate action will be taken regarding the enemy properties, he said.