Published & Updated as on - 2012-10-12

The state government on Thursday entrusted the responsibility of protecting government land, especially the tank bed land in the state, to the newly constituted Andhra Pradesh Land Management Authority (APLMA). The state also laid stress on the protection of lakes in GHMC areas. More than fifty lakes in these areas have either been encroached or regularized to realtors after encroachment.

To ensure land allotments are transparent, the government has also decided to make the details of land assignments, including the extent of land and rate of compensation available to the public.

After the recent court cases and CBI probe into land allotments to private parties during the YSR regime, the state government recently constituted an authority replacing the toothless committee. The authority is headed by the chief commissioner of land administration (CCLA) and has principal secretaries of various departments that deal with land as its members. In the land allotment policy announced last month, the government already fixed the land need for various purposes like educational institutions, power plants, hospitals and SEZs, among others. Now for every allotment, a clearance from the Environmental Protection Target Responsibility System (EPTRS) is mandatory.

On Thursday, a GO fixing the responsibilities and powers of the APLMA was issued. As per the GO, there is a ban on change of classification of tank bed land and also on its allotment. The APLMA will protect government land either by fencing or by erecting a compound wall to ensure legal protection of all areas under litigation. It will also take the necessary steps to strengthen the existing land protection cells in the state. The APLMA will establish an online ‘Land Bank’ where comprehensive information on government land and land allotted to public and private organizations will be posted along with accurate survey maps.

Source: The Times of India, Hyderabad 12th October 2012