Hyderabad: There seems to be no solution in sight for disputed lands in Telangana even three years after land records purification drive was taken up by the state government. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s repeated instructions, directives and deadlines to collectors and revenue officials in all districts to resolve disputed land issues have not yielded results.
Over 6.50 lakh acres of land parcels in Telangana are presently locked in disputes and litigations, which were kept under Part-B during land records purification drive, three years ago.
The Chief Minister ordered a massive land records purification drive in 2017, across Telangana, saying that “existing records were rectified last in 1936, during the Nizam’s period” and non-rectification in later years led to land disputes.
Chandrashekar Rao said that land disputes will end with this drive and Telangana will become a “land disputes-free state”. Following this, the revenue and agriculture departments have taken up this drive in 10,875 revenue villages in 568 mandals between September 2017 and February 2018.
They examined records pertaining to a total of 2.56 crore acres land across the state. They found that out of the total, nearly 2.39 crore acres, amounting to 93 per cent, were clean and dispute free, which were categorised as Part-A.
The ownership of these lands was determined and new digital pattadar passbooks were issued for owners in May 2018, based on which, Rythu Bandhu was extended to all landowners from May 2018.
However, the remaining seven per cent of lands, amounting to 6.50 lakh acres, were disputed and categorised as Part-B. No passbooks were issued for owners of these lands so far, as ownership was not determined even after three years.
Due to this, owners of these lands, mostly farmers, are losing government benefits like Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima besides crop loans for the last three years. These disputed lands are located mostly on city outskirts and surrounding districts, which command huge real estate value.
With no ownership of these lands for three years, it has given scope for land mafia and anti-social elements to encroach these valuable land parcels.
Mr Rao had said several times in the past that the government will take up resurvey of these disputed lands immediately, determine ownership and issue passbooks. But it has not materialised so far.
He has directed collectors and revenue officials to resolve these land disputes within a stipulated time frame during the various collectors’ conferences held at Pragathi Bhavan over the past three years.
The last collectors’ conference was held on January 11, in which the Chief Minister directed collectors to resurvey disputed lands and resolve the disputes immediately. However, even after more than a month no resurvey was initiated in any district so far.
