Illegal Land Registrations: Key Responsibilities Assigned to Tahsildars in Andhra Pradesh

The coalition government in Andhra Pradesh has made a significant decision regarding land registrations. The authority to cancel illegal registrations of government lands has been transferred from district collectors to mandal tahsildars. Andhra Pradesh Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad announced this decision on Wednesday.

According to the minister, this change aims to reduce the workload of district collectors and expedite the process of canceling illegal land registrations, leading to better outcomes. Previously, the authority to cancel registrations of government lands under the prohibited category, such as assigned lands and residential plots, was vested in district collectors.

Under the existing procedure, if information about illegal registrations surfaced, an inquiry would be conducted, and the district registrar would inform the sub-registrar to annul the registration. However, this process often led to delays and disputes. To address these challenges, the government has now empowered tahsildars, who have a better understanding of local conditions, to directly handle the cancellation of such registrations.