Telangana Govt Updates Layout Regularisation Rules

The Telangana Government has amended the Telangana Regularisation of Unapproved and Illegal Layout Rules, 2020, to expedite the regularisation process and facilitate ease of compliance.[1]

The Rules were issued in August 2020, to bring unauthorised layouts into the fold of planned sustainable development and to provide basic facilities like roads, water supply, etc. in these areas. After receiving requests from the public regarding the high regularisation charges, the Rules were amended in the following month to make the charges the same as what was provided in the previous Layout Regularisation Scheme (LRS), 2015.

Further amendments have been considered necessary in light of procedural complexities hindering the progress of the LRS 2020. Further, it is noticed that certain unauthorised plots remain unregistered due to technicalities, despite compliance with LRS conditions.

The changes introduced by the amendments are as follows:

1. Applicability amended to factor in exception: Rule 2(e) of the 2020 Rules has been substituted. Though regularisation of plots/layouts is still a pre-condition for registration/sale of such plots/obtaining building approval/construction, the amendments now add in “except as specified in these rules”. This appears to be in line with the provision for deemed applications, as mentioned in point 3.

2. Definition of landowner modified: Rule 3(c)(iii) has been substituted and a landowner now means a person who has developed the layout and sold at least 10% of the plots on or before August 26, 2020. Before the amendment, a layout owner was defined as a person who developed the layout and sold the plots on or before August 26, 2020.

3. Permitting registration irrespective of application under LRS: The amendments introduce Sub-rule (c) in Rule 4. This new provision allows registration of unregistered plots forming part of an unauthorised layout, irrespective of whether such owners have applied under LRS, 2020. However, 10% of the plots should already have been sold through a registered sale deed on or before August 26, 2020. The layout regularisation charges and pro-rata open space charges will be collected by the sub-registrar, who is also required to collect the details of the plots in the prescribed format and transmit the same to the LRS portal for processing. This intimation will be deemed to be an application for regularisation under Rule 6.

4. Rebate on regularisation and pro-rata open space charges: The new amendments also introduce Sub-rule (c) in Rule 8, offering a 25% rebate on the regularisation and pro-rata open space charges provided that the charges are paid on or before March 31, 2025. This rebate will not apply if the charges are not paid by the said date. Applicants have the option of paying pro-rata open space charges at the time of obtaining the building permission.

It is stated that this order applies to the districts where the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is not in force, considering the MLC elections in Telangana.

In a related development, the government has also come out with guidelines for the disposal of LRS applications aimed at preventing the regularisation of government land and prohibited land parcels. These guidelines envisage identifying survey numbers adjacent to the existing government land parcels and those within 200m of water bodies and lakes, verification by irrigation and revenue departments, field inspections, etc.

[1] G.O.Ms. No.28, MA&UD(Plg.III) Dept., dated February 20, 2025