By Staff Reporter
The Telangana government has finally filled the long-awaited position of a full-time chairperson for the Telangana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA). N. Satyanarayana, a 2009-batch IAS officer serving as the Commissioner and Director of Municipal Administration, has been appointed as the first chairperson of RERA for a tenure of five years. This appointment comes after Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari had been temporarily overseeing the responsibilities of the chairperson.
The state government also announced the appointment of two members to RERA. Retired additional commissioner of the commercial taxes department, Jannu Laxmi Narayana, and retired director of the town planning wing, K. Srinivas Rao, have been selected as members of the regulatory authority.
The government had invited applications for the positions of RERA chairperson and members earlier this year, receiving a significant response from around 80 officers, including former chief secretaries and retired IAS officers. Initially, there were considerations to appoint Somesh Kumar, the acting chief of RERA for almost three years, as the chairperson. However, he was later appointed as the chief advisor to the Chief Minister. Another officer, S.K. Joshi, who serves as an advisor to the government on irrigation issues, was not considered for the RERA role.
N. Satyanarayana emerged as the preferred candidate due to his impressive track record and expertise in urban and revenue matters. With experience as a commissioner in various civic bodies, including the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), and as a collector in Kamareddy district, Satyanarayana’s appointment is seen as a strategic choice by Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
The appointment of a dedicated chairperson and members to RERA in Telangana is a significant step toward ensuring effective regulation and transparency in the real estate sector. The decision was made following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Forum for Good Governance (FGC) in the Telangana High Court, urging the government to fill the vacant positions in RERA.
The new leadership under N. Satyanarayana’s stewardship is expected to bring renewed momentum to RERA’s functioning and strengthen its role in safeguarding the interests of homebuyers and promoting ethical practices in the real estate industry of Telangana.