Hyderabad, April 6, 2025: After the Telangana government extended the 25% concession deadline on Layout Regularization Scheme (LRS) fees to April 30, the pace of work on LRS applications has significantly slowed down. Thousands of applications are reportedly stuck at the Level-1 (L1) stage, with little to no movement.
Citizens who rushed to take advantage of the scheme before March 31 are now frustrated as many of their applications are still marked as “Prohibited” on the LRS portal. Those who visited their respective municipal offices to resolve the issue were told that their applications were pending clearance from the Irrigation and Revenue Departments.
Allegations of Bribery Surface
This delay has unfortunately opened the door for corruption. Several citizens have complained that officials are allegedly demanding small bribes to clear the applications. Residents of the Bandlaguda Jagir Municipal Corporation are claiming that the revenue officer has stopped answering calls and is not processing files until an in-person meeting occurs. Additionally, the fee intimations have not yet been generated and are in the hands of this revenue officer.
“We were told our applications are under prohibited category, but the same municipal authorities are giving building permissions in the same layout. Now they ask us to provide proof that our land is not prohibited. How can an ordinary person prove that when the government itself has all the land records?” questioned a frustrated applicant.
Lack of System Automation Raises Concerns
Citizens argue that the system should have been automatic, as the Registration and Dharani portal already holds detailed land classification data. However, applicants are being asked to physically visit municipal offices and submit additional evidence, which has added unnecessary complications for landowners, especially those not well-versed with legal or technical procedures.
There are also concerns about the transparency of how layouts are being marked as “Prohibited” on Dharani. In many cases, layouts that are deemed prohibited are still receiving building permissions from the same municipal authorities, raising questions about inconsistencies in the system.
Frustration Grows Across Municipalities
The initial enthusiasm witnessed when the 25% rebate was announced has now died down. Citizens across multiple municipalities are now demanding a more transparent and accountable process. Many are calling on the government to fast-track application processing and introduce a clear mechanism to automatically validate non-prohibited lands using existing official records.
With just a few weeks left until the new deadline, the government’s ability to restore trust and streamline the process remains to be seen.
The process of LRS needs to improve and concerned staff should be accountable for their inaction.
Revenue Department took 11 days to move my cases despite phone calls and WhatsApp messages. Now, the Bandlaguda Municipal Office cannot see the cases on its system! Indeed, a very frustrating experience so far.