The Layout Regularisation Scheme (LRS) in Telangana is progressing slowly. Despite the government extending the deadline for special concessions by a month, the response has been underwhelming. The deadline for paying the LRS fee ended on the 31st of last month, but only 10% of the applications across the state have paid the fee. Due to technical issues, the deadline was extended for another month. However, even with this extension, official figures indicate that only 10% of the applications where the LRS fee has been paid have been cleared. In this regard, the Revanth government has expressed concern.
After years of anticipation, the Telangana government is finally implementing the Layout Regularisation Scheme (LRS). The Revanth government had announced a 25% discount on the LRS fee for applicants who paid by March 31 of the previous month. However, there has been a lack of significant response to the scheme. As a result, the government extended the offer for another month, giving applicants until April 30 to avail of the concession. Despite this extension, only 10% of the total LRS applications have been paid, leading the authorities to reconsider their approach. It is now reported that the government is planning to extend the deadline for the LRS fee concession for another month.
As of March 31, the total LRS fee collected across all municipalities and corporations in the state was approximately Rs 1,000 crore. However, by Friday, only Rs 1,098 crore had been collected, indicating that in the past 25 days, only Rs 98 crore was collected. The government had estimated that Rs 7,000 crore would be collected through the LRS scheme, but to date, the total collected amount is less than Rs 1,500 crore. A total of 25.4 lakh applications were received across the state for LRS. Among these, 10.85 lakh applications have been processed and informed to pay the fee, with 2.25 lakh applicants having paid the fee, according to the Director of Town and Country Planning officials. However, 8.59 lakh applicants still need to pay the fee. With just five days left for the deadline, officials estimate that another one lakh applicants are likely to pay the fee before the deadline ends.
Since the initiation of the LRS process in Telangana, technical issues have been reported from various districts, with complaints flooding into senior officials. It has been pointed out that municipal commissioners lack awareness of the issues, and when applicants approach them for assistance, the response is often, “We don’t know anything.” Applicants have been facing problems during the application process, such as being shown a fee to pay, only to later find out that their plot is listed in the prohibited list. When they check the prohibited list and find their plot missing, they are also unable to proceed with payment, as the system does not allow them to do so.
Amid the funding shortage for the implementation of six key guarantees and various development and welfare programs, there is ongoing discussion among the officials that the government cannot afford to forgo the revenue from the LRS scheme. As a result, senior officials have reportedly instructed collectors to give special attention to the LRS process and take steps to clear as many applications as possible by the end of this month.
