A land grab worth roughly Rs 200 crore has been exposed in Munaganur, in Abdullapurmet mandal of Rangareddy district, where government land is allegedly being taken over through survey number manipulation. Applications for villa and apartment construction have already been filed with HMDA on the disputed plot.

The alleged scheme centres on Survey No. 44, which has about 40.10 acres of government land. According to the report, the survey number was split into sub-divisions, including 44/1, 44/2, 44/3, 44/4, 44/10 and 44/11.

How the survey numbers were split

Sub-divisions 44/1 to 44/4, along with the parent Survey No. 44, were placed fully in the prohibited list. The 12 acres under 44/10 and 44/11 were allegedly converted into patta land in the names of certain individuals, and that is where the trouble begins.

Once the patta was issued, NALA charges were paid on the land. Those payments, the report says, were then used as the basis for applying to HMDA for permission to build villas and large apartment blocks. The paperwork is moving forward even as the land is still recorded as government property in large parts of the survey number.

Market talk in the area puts the value of the 12 acres above Rs 200 crore. That figure is being discussed openly, and it is the number driving the anger.

Allegations of big-name backers

The report also says the alleged land grab is being shielded by what locals call ‘big brothers’. Allegations name a Member of Parliament as well as other influential people said to be supporting the land grabbers.

Whispers in the area suggest that the prized land is being carved up among several parties. The same allegations claim that officials are staying away from the site because of pressure from these powerful figures. None of these claims have been tested in an official finding, but they are being repeated loudly by residents and political workers.

Despite the controversy, the revenue machinery is acting as if it is watching from the sidelines, and critics say it is effectively siding with the land grabbers.

A dispute that has been running for months

This is not a new fight. The land drew heavy controversy earlier after allegations of encroachment surfaced. BRS district president Manchireddy Kishan Reddy, former MP Boora Narsaiah Goud and several CPM and CPI leaders visited the site and requested that the land be immediately added to the prohibited list to protect it.

Those requests, the report says, produced no visible response from higher authorities. Residents and multiple political parties continue to demand that the land be safeguarded, but officials have not moved on the matter.

Critics also point to an earlier episode in which revenue officials put up boards declaring the land government property. Those boards, the criticism goes, were treated as a formal way of washing their hands of the matter rather than a real step to stop encroachment.

Hyderabad’s outskirts under the microscope

For Telangana, the case goes beyond one survey number. Rangareddy district sits on the edge of Hyderabad, and the report alleges that HMDA has been granting construction approvals on several valuable government plots in the district without adequate scrutiny.

A similar case is already being cited. In Koheda, also in Abdullapurmet mandal, HMDA approved villa construction on land that the tahsildar had described as government property. The tahsildar wrote to HMDA last year seeking cancellation of those permissions, and according to the report, the agency has still not reached a decision on that request.

Now, the same pattern is allegedly emerging at Munaganur. The report says HMDA appears ready to grant permission for villas on the 12 acres despite the ongoing dispute and the earlier requests for protection. The matter has been under dispute for some time, and critics say the agency is moving ahead regardless.

What the reporting leaves open

The reporting is built on allegations, local claims and official documents referenced in the story, including the NALA payments and the HMDA application. The names of the alleged backers have been raised by residents and political figures, and no official account of their involvement has been published in this report.

What is clear is the pressure on the government to act. Residents want the 12 acres placed in the prohibited list and protected. Political leaders have asked senior officials to step in, and the requests have so far gone unanswered. The HMDA decision on the pending application will be the next checkpoint, and it will show whether the warnings about this land are being heard.