AP Revenue Minister Anagani Sathya Prasad promises error-free land resurvey
Anagani Sathya Prasad said the previous government had completed a survey in 6,688 villages
Vijayawada: Revenue Minister Anagani Sathya Prasad stated on Tuesday that the government aimed to complete the resurvey in all districts within three years.
“We aim to eliminate opportunities for errors. Some 690 pilot villages are currently involved in the resurvey. A cabinet subcommittee has been formed to decide on matters related to lands listed under Section 22-A (1)(c). Recommendations are expected soon for appropriate actions on these lands,” he said during question hour in the assembly.
Questions were raised by TD members Pratipati Pulla Rao, Koona Ravikumar, Bonala Vijayachandra and Rajagopal.
The minister said the previous government had completed a survey in 6,688 villages. However, he said the process then was plagued by errors. No prior notice had been provided to landowners.
He deplored that, in a further blow to landowners, the timeline for raising objections was reduced from 60 days to just 21 days following the completion of the resurvey.
Sathya Prasad said the Jagan-led government hastily marked boundaries rather than ensuring accuracy of the resurvey. This led to widespread dissatisfaction among landowners about discrepancies in land area, boundary markings and classification issues, he alleged.
He said the present government has been holding village meetings across all surveyed villages to receive petitions from affected landowners. “So far, approximately 279,712 petitions have been received. Out of these, 257,881 have been resolved, accounting for nearly 90 per cent of all submissions.
The remaining 21,831 petitions would be addressed by March 31. The petitions included demands for adjustments in land area, with 99,216 submissions related to this issue alone, of which 89,473 have been resolved.
Additionally, 64,441 petitions related to Joint Land Parcel Maps (JLPMs) were looked into and 57,527 complaints resolved. Some 116,055 petitions of name changes, personal details, and land classification problems were received, of which 110,881 complaints were resolved.
The minister acknowledged problems with JLPMs, saying different landowners sharing a single parcel made it challenging for them to register or mutate their land titles individually. To address these complications, the government has implemented online subdivision citizen services at village and ward secretariats to facilitate the separation of joint parcels for smoother registration processes, he said.
Prasad said, from January 1, 2025, a fee exemption for six months has been granted to landowners wishing to subdivide their properties.
He said the government is committed to ensure that landowners can subdivide their properties without hurdles. Since the launch of these services, 71,337 applications have been received, of which 62,816 applications were already processed.
Sathya Prasad said each village is divided into blocks, with 200 to 250 acres surveyed per block.
“Two surveyors, one village revenue officer (VRO) and one village revenue assistant (VRA) are allocated to each block. A WhatsApp group will be created to include all farmers within the block for seamless communication, so as to ensure release of notifications prior to surveys,” he said.
Each day, surveys cover 20 acres. The surveyors will ensure thoroughness in their operations.