Telangana’s resumed house regularisation process under Government Order No. 76 has triggered allegations that middlemen in Kothagudem are demanding up to ₹3,000 per square yard from applicants seeking title deeds. Officials have warned residents not to pay anyone promising to influence the survey, verification or document-issuance process.
The government has approved the issuance of title deeds to 2,200 applicants who had submitted applications earlier, while a survey has begun in Kothagudem. The regularisation exercise had stalled before the Assembly elections and its resumption has renewed expectations among applicants who have been waiting for formal ownership documents.
According to the report, intermediaries are approaching applicants with assurances that title deeds can be secured without waiting for the prescribed survey and verification procedures. The rates allegedly being quoted are ₹2,000 per square yard for residential properties and ₹3,000 per square yard for commercial plots. On a 100-square-yard plot, this would amount to about ₹2 lakh for a residential property and ₹3 lakh for a commercial property.
The alleged demands have raised concerns that applicants may be pressured to pay for a government process that is required to follow official rules. Middlemen are reportedly claiming that they can arrange the documents by influencing officials, although there is no official confirmation that such payments can affect an applicant’s eligibility or the outcome of the process.
One applicant from Pragathi Nagar told the newspaper that a middleman approached them after the survey resumed and demanded ₹1 lakh, promising to deliver the registration deed directly to the house. The applicant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the demand was refused because it was unaffordable. The account illustrates the uncertainty faced by applicants who do not know when their cases will be verified or when documents will be issued.
The report also alleges that some local political leaders may be attempting to use the process to recover political expenditure through intermediaries. These claims involve alleged efforts to identify applicants, divide them among intermediaries and share the money collected. The allegations have not been independently established in the supplied report.
Kothagudem tahsildar Pullaiah said the distribution of title deeds would be conducted transparently and strictly according to the prescribed rules. “There is no scope for middlemen to interfere in the process. People should not trust such persons or waste their money. The process will be carried out officially, following the rules, and applicants should remain alert,” he said.
Officials have advised applicants to rely on authorised government channels for information about the survey, verification and issuance of title deeds. The ongoing survey and the subsequent official verification process are the next steps for the 2,200 earlier applicants.
