‘Part-B’ farmers suffer as Telangana revenue officials sit on \'disputed’ lands

HYDERABAD: Over 17.3 lakh acres of land had been categorised as 'disputed' during the drive to cleanse revenue records in 2017. Of this, the revenue department has resolved disputes over 10 lakh acres.

The department is sitting on resolution of over seven lakh acres even after four years.  As a result, over four lakh farmers owning these lands are losing all government benefits like Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima and crop loans among others as they do not have pattadar passbooks.

The revenue department has kept issuance of passbooks on hold for disputed land parcels placed under Part-B. With this, farmers are making determined efforts to get the passbooks but in vain.

The state government had launched a massive revenue records cleansing drive in 2017 titled "Telangana Land Records Updation Project" (TLRUP). Revenue teams, which verified land, found that there were 1.78 crore survey numbers belonging to 75.54 lakh accounts (farmers).

After verification, they placed 63.25 lakh accounts which were dispute-free under Part-A. Dgital pattadar passbooks were issued to these 63.25 lakh farmers in 2018. Only farmers having these passbooks are eligible to get Rs 10,000 per acre per year (kharif and rabi) under Rythu Bandhu and Rs 5 lakh free insurance cover under Rythu Bima in the event of death. Banks are providing crop loans only to such farmers.

Adding to the woes of four lakh farmers, whose land parcels were placed under Part-B as being disupted and are deprived of government benefits, the revenue department is issuing confusing statements asking them to apply for redressal of their grievances. At one time it asks farmers to send their grievances to a Whatsapp number or e-mail specially devised for the purpose. Then it asks them to apply through Mee Seva centres or the Dharani portal. Even after submitting applications through all modes, no solution seems in sight.

Farmers are running around mandal revenue offices to know the status of their complaints. However, MROs are sending them back saying that the government has abolished powers to MROs to make any changes in land records on Dharani portal and only district collectors have the powers to do it.

Farmers are making a beeline to collector offices every Monday to submit petitions as the state government holds "Praja Vani" on Monday at all collector offices to enable people to meet collectors directly and lodge their grievances. Due to Covid outbreak, the Praja Vani was stopped for a year. Though it was relaunched recently, collectors are not taking grievances directly but instead asking farmers to drop their complaints in the grievances boxes set up at collectorates.