Dharani, land acquisition top woes at TS Congress farmers meet

HYDERABAD: The Telangana Congress on Monday held a ‘rythu ghosa’ programme at Gandhi Bhavan, passing resolutions demanding that the government stop seizing land given to Dalits and return plots are taken, setting a 15-day deadline. It further demanded the government issue documents to landowners who lost rights over their land and provide compensation to those who suffered losses due to natural calamities.

Telangana Congress in-charge Manikrao Thakre, AICC secretary Rohit Chaudhary, and Kisan Congress vice chairman Kodanda Reddy interacted with farmers during the event.

Among the chief complaints was the issue of the Dharani portal making lives hard.

Kisan Congress chairman Anvesh Reddy said, “The government is giving land of Dalits to corporates. By not paying compensation to farmers, it has left them to fend for themselves.

Telangana is the only state which lacks a compensation scheme for crops. Lakhs of farmers are losing rights over their land and the poor are not able to get rights for their land. Some nine lakh applications are pending for changes in records. Many don’t even know what to do.”

Marri Srinivas Reddy, a farmer from Gollapalli village of Yellareddypet Mandal in Rajanna Sircilla district, said, “I have not been able to get the survey number added to my passbook.

The VRO and revenue inspector visited the land but they don’t have the power to make changes. Despite meeting the collector and RDO, the problem remains unresolved. The BRS has removed all the benefits to farmers. The recent loan waiver is going towards interest payment itself.”

G. Bala Raju of Kersipelli in Valigonda Mandal, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, said, “Of 22 acres of my ancestral property, which I enjoyed all these years, I have possession of only half an acre now. Land records have been changed in favour of others who had no connection to our property. I even prostrated myself to local MLA Pailla Sekhar Reddy, seeking his help, but to no avail. Attempts to avail of information under RTI, writing to CCLA, have also been unsuccessful.”

“The local tahsildar mismanaged the records as I questioned them on the mismanagement of income generated from the water tank in the village. I am being asked to approach the court. The land is worth Rs40 lakh to Rs50 lakh per acre now. I have four sons, of whom two are handicapped. One of them has taken a second-hand tractor to eke out a living and the other has hired a taxi in Ghatkesar. This has shattered my family,” he said.

Explaining his woes, Chandru Rajamalllu, a Dalit farmer from Gopalpur village, Manthani Mandal, Peddapalli district, said, “My 24 guntas of land has been changed into my cousin’s name. The record is not being set right though I am in occupation of my land.”

Dismissing the government’s claims on the merits of giving record change rights to the district collector, P. Mahipal Reddy, a farmer from Rudrangi village in Sircilla, said: “The MRO would solve problems earlier. Those who are not educated are facing more problems.

District collectors are unapproachable. The MRO says the site is not opening when we ask for the inclusion of my survey number. My older passbook, before Dharani, was fine. Some are losing rights over their land owing to these problems.”