Noted social activist and former IAS officer EAS Sarma has urged Governor S Abdul Nazeer to stop change in ownership of assigned lands to the poorer sections.

In a representation, he said AP Government issued GO Ms No. 596 dated 19-12-2023 granting freehold rights in respect of government lands conditionally assigned by the earlier governments in favour of landless families, largely belonging to the disadvantaged sections of the society, especially those belonging to the SCs/STs/OBCs.

The AP Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfer) Act of 1977 prohibited anyone from buying an assigned land. The rationale of this legislation is that assignment of government lands to landless families - a part of a welfare policy of the government for the benefit of the disadvantaged sections of the society.

Alienation of such assigned lands to third persons will violate that policy, he opined adding government lands belong to the public at large and the government at any point of time is merely a trustee for those lands on behalf of the public.

Sarma said if an assignee is forced to alienate the land assigned to a third person, such land should revert to the government for use for a public purpose including restoration of the land to the original assignee or to another landless family.

"Any relaxation in that arrangement would amount to government lands indirectly slipping away into the hands of those who are ineligible. In a way, granting a "freehold" right in respect of an assigned land could imply regularising what is illegal, violative of the principle of public trust," he opined.