Greed of grabbers; negligence of authorities; govt lands being increasingly encroached

Wanaparthy: Government lands across the district are increasingly falling prey to encroachments due to greed of land-grabbers and the negligence of authorities. Despite some action taken in response to public complaints, the issue persists in various parts of the district. Wanaparthy’s unique geographical features, including hills, lakes and forest areas, have made it an attractive target for land encroachers.

After the State formation and the subsequent creation of new districts, land prices have skyrocketed, particularly in Wanaparthy, which became the district headquarters. This surge in land value has fuelled encroachments, with grabbers targeting government lands.

Encroachers often purchase private lands adjacent to government properties at low prices and then unlawfully occupy government lands, setting up ventures without obtaining proper permits. This has led to numerous instances where unsuspecting people have been cheated into buying plots on encroached government lands. In the past, government interventions to remove illegal ventures on identified lands resulted in displacement of many innocent buyers. However, the rampant activities of grabbers continue unabated. Some illegal ventures even go so far as to sell roads within plots, further deceiving buyers.

Authorities have previously acted against officials in the Registration department, but the issue persists. For example, in Srinivasapuram village, large areas of government land have been encroached upon. Many farmers with private lands adjacent to government properties have expanded their holdings by illegally occupying government land.

Though the Dharani website was introduced to digitise land records, some individuals managed to transfer government lands into their names, while others retained control over government lands identified as such. Taking advantage of this situation, grabbers are selling government land plots with forged documents, profiting at the expense of unsuspecting buyers.

People here are urging authorities to take immediate action to identify and protect government lands, preventing further encroachments and protecting public interests.