Thousands of applicants worried as names missing in the patta lists for podu lands
ADILABAD: Thousands of cultivators who applied for pattas for the podu lands that are in their hands for a long time are worried a lot. Their names are missing from the lists prepared by the Telangana government for issuing the pattas.
No information was communicated to them by the officials even as chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao is expected to launch the distribution of pattas to the podu lands in Asifabad on June 24.
Pattas to the podu lands will be issued in 26 districts in the state. The state government will issue pattas to the podu lands cultivated by tribals and the applications of the non-tribal will be kept pending.
Agriculture officials have collected bank accounts and Aadhar card photocopies from the podu cultivators whose names are included in the lists.
The podu cultivators in these lists, who will get the pattas, would be given Rythu Bandhu and Bheema benefits from this season.
On May 23, the cabinet sub-committee considered the total 1,50,012 claims the forest department received for 4,05,601 acres in 26 districts till November last year, and subsequently conducted a survey to identify the genuine cultivators.
The highest number of applications -- 50,595 -- was received for the 1,51,195 acres land in Bhadradri Kothagudem. Mahabubabad came second with 24,972 applications for 70,434 acres and Asifabad third with 15,254 applications for 44,750-acres. Adilabad stood fourth with 12,222 applications for 31,683 acres.
It is learnt that the cabinet sub-committee asked the district officials to consider some more applications of cultivators who are eligible for the podu pattas.
However, issuing pattas to the podu lands has become a big problem in the run-up to the election in the state. Tribals have pinned a lot of hope on getting pattas to the podu lands they have been cultivating for a long time.
The district-level committees (DLCs) chaired by district collectors looking into the matter are not sharing any information with ground-level staff to avoid protests.
According to official sources, 31,633 applications were received from the podu cultivators claiming rights for 76,800 acres in the Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.
Among the total applications, 15,600 belong to tribals and 16,033 to non-tribals in the Komaram Bheem Asifabad district. The pattas are being issued taking December 13, 2005, as cut of date eligible for the pattas.
District tribal welfare officials say they have prepared pattas for 13,000 applicants and did not get any official communication about issuing pattas to non-tribals.
K Krishnaiah of Shettihadpanur village in Sirpur (U) mandal said his family has been cultivating a 6-acre podu land for generations. They had attached the village elders' approval as evidence to the applications to show that they have been staying there and cultivating the lands. He was hopeful of getting patta to the podu lands his family has been cultivating for a long time.
Pandra Jaywath Rao, MPP of Ghanpur on Utnoor, said 34 farmers applied for the pattas to the podu land they have been cultivating for a long time in the gram panchayat and all of them were in the list.
He said Veladi Mohan Rao applied for patta for three acres and Ade Yadav Rao for four acre and they are going to get the pattas.
Jayawanth Rao said the ITDA officials recently conducted a fresh survey following a complaint from podu cultivators whose names were missing from the list and hoped that their names too would be included in the final list.
Veladi Mohan Rao of Gahanour, whose name was found in the list of eligible podu cultivators for the pattas, was overwhelmed by the prospect of getting the patta and said a long-awaited dream was coming true.
