Union Minister Orders Review of Enemy Properties in Telangana
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, has instructed officials to assess the “enemy properties” under the custody of the Custodian of Enemy Property in India (CEPI) in Telangana. He directed them to complete the investigation in the districts of Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Kothagudem, and Vikarabad by the end of December. A detailed report is expected in the first week of January. These instructions were issued during a review meeting on enemy properties held on Thursday.
The meeting was attended by officials from the CEPI Mumbai division, Telangana State Principal Secretary of Revenue CCLA Naveen Mittal, and revenue officials from Hyderabad, Secunderabad, and Vikarabad. Ranga Reddy District Collector Narayana Reddy was also present.
Enemy properties refer to assets belonging to individuals who left India for Pakistan or China during conflicts such as the Chinese invasion in 1962 and the Indo-Pak wars from 1965 to 1971. These properties are maintained by CEPI under the Enemy Property Act. The Indian government has records of around 13,000 enemy properties across 21 states and 2 Union Territories, with a total market value running into thousands of crores. Although the government is empowered to sell these assets under Section 8(A) of the Act, many of these properties have been encroached upon or are tied up in legal disputes.
During the nearly two-hour meeting, officials informed the Minister that Telangana has 234 enemy properties. Of these, 180 are located in Ranga Reddy, 44 in Hyderabad, 7 in Kothagudem, and 3 in Vikarabad. Many of these properties have been encroached upon, and several have structures built on them. In Ranga Reddy district, valuable properties have been identified in areas like Miyapur, Kotwal Guda, Chikkadpally (Hyderabad), Musheerabad, and the Old City.
To address the issue, the Union Minister ordered the creation of a special team under CEPI to examine property records and conduct surveys. He also urged the Telangana state government to set up a separate forum for reviewing records and organizing surveys. A joint committee has been formed to oversee this process, with a deadline to complete the work by the end of December.
Bandi Sanjay Kumar emphasized the need for a comprehensive report on enemy properties in Telangana by early January. Based on the findings, appropriate action will be taken to resolve issues surrounding these properties.
