AP assembly passes 3 bills; 2 bills tabled for discussion

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Assembly passed three bills on Sunday while two other bills have been tabled. The three were the AP Dotted Lands (Updation in Re Settlement Register (Amendment) Bill 2023, the AP Right in Land and Pattadar Pass Books (Amendment) Bill 2023 and the AP (Andhra Area) Inams, (Abolition and Conversion into Ryotwari) (Amendment) Bills 2023.

The house passed by voice vote the three bills introduced by the Revenue, Registration and Stamps minister Dharmana Prasada Rao. The two other bills  were the AP Education (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the AP Public Libraries (Amendment) Bill 2023, tabled by municipal administration and urban development minister Audimulapu Suresh.

Dharmana Prasada said that during the re-survey work, it has been brought to the notice of the government that the settlement of Inam lands as required under the AP (Andhra Area) Inams (Abolition and Conversion into Ryotwari) Act, 1956 had not taken place so far. As per the provisions of the act, in the cases where the Inam land has a tenant and then the rights of the Inamdar and the tenant are entitled to a share in the ratio of 1/3 and 2/3 respectively.

However, as per Sec 4 (2) (b) of the AP (Andhra Area) Inams (Abolition and Conversion into Ryotwari) Act, 1956, in cases where there was no tenant, the Inamdar was entitled for the entire share of land. “It is seen that this provision is not in the true spirit of the Act. The AP (Andhra Area) Inams (Abolition and Conversion into Ryotwari) Act, 1956 is intended to protect the rights of the tenants. In case there are no tenants for any Inam land, if the share of the tenant is to vest in the Inamdar. It is nothing but benefitting the Inamdar vis-a-vis other Inamdars who have tenants.”

Prasada Rao said that this provision was against the principles of Natural Justice, the non-existence of the tenant should never be to the benefit of the Inamdar and such lands should vest in government in the larger public interest.

DOTTED LANDS:  

Regarding the Andhra Pradesh Dotted lands (Updation in Re-settlement Register) Act, 2017, the minister said some of the district collectors have informed the government that there were lands in their districts where the pattadar column and remarks column of the re-settlement register have been left blank at the time of resurvey and settlement registers.

He said that the farmers were now filing applications for updation of such lands in the RSR as patta lands. “It was observed that in the RSR, the lands were recorded blank in the pattadar/remarks columns. Therefore, collectors have requested that lands in the blanks may be permitted to be removed from the list of prohibited properties in terms of the A.P. Dotted lands Act.”