Agri Land Re-Survey Exposes Huge Discrepancies In Land Records
Sources said a major reason for inflated landholdings is the failure of revenue officials to delete sold land from sellers' accounts while creating new sub-divisions in favour of buyers.
Hyderabad:A pilot project involving re-survey of agricultural lands at a village in Sangareddy district has exposed glaring discrepancies between actual landholdings and revenue records. The exercise highlighted the challenge facing the state government in its efforts to complete a comprehensive re-survey across Telangana within 18 months.
The survey in Shahednagar village of Vatpally mandal covered 355 farmers, but the land details of only 19 matched existing revenue records. While 177 farmers were found to be in possession of more land than recorded, 159 were holding less land than reflected in official documents.
Farmers are awaiting the government's decision on how the discrepancies will be rectified. Those found to be holding less land than recorded in their pattadar passbooks are particularly concerned and seeking justice, fearing that the mismatch could affect their land rights.
Officials of the Survey, Settlement and Land Records Department informed farmers that notices would be issued to those whose land measurements differed from official records. Both current revenue records and historical documents would be examined, and discrepancies resolved in the presence of the concerned parties to prevent further disputes.
The pilot survey has brought into focus a widespread problem in the state's land records system. Official sources said discrepancies between old Sethwar (RSR) records and current revenue records could be found in 20 to 30 per cent of survey numbers in almost every village. In several cases, the land extent recorded currently is higher than that mentioned in original documents, resulting in claims over additional land that may not actually exist.
The problem has persisted despite the introduction of the Dharani Act by the previous BRS government and the subsequent Bhu Bharati Act by the present Congress government, as neither provided an effective mechanism to resolve all such discrepancies.
Sources said a major reason for inflated landholdings is the failure of revenue officials to delete sold land from sellers' accounts while creating new sub-divisions in favour of buyers. Consequently, the same land continued to appear in the original account even after its transfer, inflating subsequent records and pattadar passbooks.
Though the discrepancies can be corrected by tracing past transactions and updating entries, officials failed to act for nearly six years since 2020 when Dharani was launched.. Applications seeking rectification are repeatedly rejected citing RSR mismatches without examining historical records.
Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy last week announced that the government would complete a comprehensive re-survey of agricultural lands and abadi properties across Telangana within 18 months to resolve disputes and ensure transparency.
The first phase covers 70 villages in each district, using advanced technology-enabled rovers for accurate measurements. The minister directed collectors and revenue officials to monitor the exercise, explain measurements and boundaries to farmers, inspect fieldwork personally and resolve grievances promptly.
