Latest news with #LandAdministration
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
T.N. set to begin land acquisition process for Parandur airport project
The Tamil Nadu government is all set to begin the land acquisition process for the city's second airport at Parandur. The State issued a Government Order (G.O.) on June 25, giving a direction to begin land acquisition under the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997. Several villages, including Parandur, Valathur, Ciruvallur, Gunakarapakkam, Akkamapuram, Magadevi Mangalam, Eganapuram, Podavur, Nelvoy, Thandalam and Thodur, will be affected by this project. According to the G.O., based on the proposal of the Commissioner of Land Administration, the government has fixed a flat rate of ₹35 lakh to ₹60 lakh per acre, inclusive of all components for 1,960.63 acres of lands whose guideline value range from ₹5 lakh to ₹17 lakh per acre in Kancheepuram and Sriperumbudur taluks. The Kancheepuram Collector can also fix compensation through private negotiation for 374.53 acres of land (in Akkamapuram, Nelvoy and Thandalam) whose guideline value ranges from ₹5 lakh to ₹17 lakh per acre. In villages including Parandur, Maduramangalam, Singilipadi, Gunakarapakkam, Edayarpakkam, Akkamapuram, Magadevi Mangalam, Eganapuram, and Koothirambakkam, which measure 996.09 acres of land in total, as the guideline value is over ₹17 lakh per acre, the owners will also get compensation based on private negotiation. In some locations, the compensation through private negotiations could be as much as ₹60 lakh to even ₹2.57 crore per acre. In cases wherein the land owners are unwilling to accept the compensation rates, the government has directed the officers to pursue the land acquisition process by adhering to statutory steps under the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997, and determine the compensation accordingly. In 2023, the State government issued administrative sanction for acquisition of 1,527.32 hectares of patta lands, and alienation of 798.12 hectares of government lands in Sriperumbudur and Kancheepuram taluks for this project.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Kancha Gachibowli aftermath: State government reconstitutes expert committee to identify forest lands
In a significant development after the Supreme Court's directions in the suo motu case pertaining to Kancha Gachibowli forest clearance, the State government issued orders on Friday, reconstituting the expert committee to identify the forested lands in the State. With fewer persons than the previous one, the new 7-member committee is chaired by the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in charge of IT & Wildlife Protection, and comprises a person nominated by the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration and a representative from the National Remote Sensing Agency as members, retired Deputy Conservator of Forests and Officer on Special Duty as expert member, Deputy Conservator of Forests S. Madhava Rao as expert member and member-convenor, Chief Conservator/Conservator of Forests, Rajanna Sircilla Circle and District Forest Officer, Khammam, as members/field forest officers. The earlier committee had a wider membership from senior bureaucrats such as the CCLA, GHMC Commissioner, HMDA Metropolitan Commissioner, Commissioner Panchayat Raj, Director, Town & Country Planning, Commissioner of Industries, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner/Director, Tribal Welfare, and Commissioner Horticulture as members and the PCCF and Head of Forest Force as member-convenor. The membership of the committee earned a serious view from the Apex Court which questioned the representation of so many unrelated departments in the committee to identify forests. The Central Empowered Committee which had submitted its report on the Kancha Gachibowli issue, also recommended reconstitution of the panel with representation of relevant departments. State-level expert committee constitution to identify forest lands was mandated by the Supreme Court, in the landmark T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad judgement in 1996 which expanded the definition of forest to its dictionary meaning, from the narrow interpretation based on the legal boundaries or ownership. Several State governments have not constituted expert committees, nor carried out the exercise to identify the deemed forests. With the Central government removing unclassified forests from the legal definition of forests by way of a recent amendment to the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, a public interest litigation was filed in the Supreme Court, invoking the Godavarman Thirumulpad judgement. The top court directed the State governments and union territories to forward records of the reports of their expert committees, containing the data of the deemed forests to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, spurring all the States to constitute expert committees now. The State government issued its first order constituting the previous expert committee on March 15 this year, with one month's time to come up with a report. The latest order does not specify any time limit for the report.
New Indian Express
23-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Telangana HC notices to Government over ‘illegal' land purchases by MLA's kin
HYDERABAD: Justice CV Bhaskar Reddy of the Telangana High Court has issued show cause notices to several state authorities and individuals, including the mother-in-law of Palakurthi Congress MLA Yashaswini Reddy, over allegations of illegal land transactions involving foreign nationals. The notices were issued in a writ petition filed by Pakanati Damodar Reddy, a resident of Illenda village in Wardhannapet mandal, Warangal district. The petitioner has alleged that Hanumandla Jansi Lakshmi Reddy and her husband Hanumandla Rajender Reddy, who are reportedly US citizens, have illegally purchased agricultural lands in the state, in violation of Indian property laws applicable to foreign nationals. The respondents include the state of Telangana, represented by its principal secretary (Revenue), Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA), district collector of Mahabubabad, RDO of Torrur, tahsildar-cum-joint sub-registrar of Torrur mandal, and the joint director of the Enforcement Directorate, Hyderabad Zone. Jansi Lakshmi Reddy and Rajender Reddy, both of whom are related to Congress MLA Yashaswini Reddy, are also named in the petition.
New Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Kerala agency to forensically audit Dharani portal
HYDERABAD: The state government has expedited steps to conduct a comprehensive forensic audit into alleged irregularities involving the use of the Dharani portal — the integrated land revenue records management system — during the BRS regime. According to credible sources, a Kerala-based state-run investigative agency has been given in-principle approval to conduct this high-level investigation. During the recent Assembly session, the state government announced its plan to launch a forensic audit into disputed transactions processed through Dharani. Although the government has since replaced the Dharani portal with the newly introduced Bhu Bharati, it has retained the necessary data required for the investigation. The purpose of the audit is to establish a detailed transaction history of the disputed land deals. The key points the audit will focus on include: who was involved in the transactions; the specific locations and times of the deals; the roles of officers; and any suspicious IP addresses or login details associated with the transactions. The forensic audit will also examine the parties involved and seek to clarify the circumstances surrounding these land transfers. 20,000 land transactions likely to be examined The forensic audit is expected to examine between 15,000 and 20,000 suspicious land transactions across the state. However, primary focus will be on the districts of Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal, where most of the irregularities are believed to have occurred. Sources said Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy directed Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA) Navin Mittal to hold a meeting with the investigative agency, which is expected to soon launch the probe, to discuss the modalities and aspects to be examined.
