The Bhu Bharati Act was scheduled to replace the Dharani portal on Ugadi, March 30
Hyderabad: Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy on Monday said that the controversial Dharani portal will be replaced by the Bhu Bharati in April. He said the Bhu Bharati Act will come into force in April first week since the operational guidelines for implementing the Bhu Bharati Act have already been finalised.
The Bhu Bharati Act was scheduled to replace the Dharani portal on Ugadi, March 30. However, Srinivas Reddy revealed that the launch would be postponed as the government has decided to introduce the Sanna Biyyam scheme on March 30, to supply fine-quality rice through ration shops.
During an informal chat with media persons on the Assembly premises on Monday, Srinivas Reddy said that payments for the layout regularisation scheme (LRS) had been gaining momentum as the March 31 deadline neared.
He clarified that there was no proposal to extend the deadline. “Any decision on the extension will be made depending on the situation as the deadline draws closer. Those applying for LRS before March 31 will receive a 25 per cent discount, after which 100 per cent payment will be mandatory for building approvals for new constructions,” he said.
Srinivas Reddy stated that the state government would initiate a forensic audit into alleged irregularities in the Dharani land records, particularly during the previous BRS regime. He cited instances in constituencies such as Siddipet and Sircilla, which are represented by BRS leaders T. Harish Rao and K.T. Rama Rao, where records for hundreds of acres of government and assigned land were allegedly manipulated. The forensic audit aims to expose these discrepancies.
Srinivas Reddy said that the government has approved the creation of 10,956 village revenue officer (VRO) positions to strengthen and revive the village revenue system, with an Intermediate examination qualification set as the minimum eligibility. He added that the state government will make a survey map as a mandatory requirement for land registration. For individuals lacking such maps, surveys will be conducted to finalise the process.
"Once the Bhu Bharati Act is operational, the government intends to revise the market value of land, potentially increasing registration charges in some areas and decreasing them in others,” Srinivas Reddy said.
The government also plans to appoint around 1,000 surveyors and introduce a slot-based system for property registrations. With Aadhaar linking, the registration process will be expedited, allowing completion in just 15-20 minutes, compared to the current 40 minutes. Pilot projects are planned in 15 locations across the state to troubleshoot any potential challenges before the system’s full-scale rollout, the minister said.
Srinivas Reddy also assured that most issues concerning the Dharani system have been resolved. “The government will process 12 lakh pending online transactions related to Sada Bainama (agreements on plain paper) from the previous BRS administration but will not accept new applications or allow the sale of assigned land. Individuals whose Sada Bainama applications were rejected can appeal to the appellate authority,” he said.
The government intended to appoint surveyors in each mandal to carry out land surveys, but these will only be conducted upon request from buyers or sellers, in accordance with the law. Special land surveys will not be undertaken.
Srinivas Reddy said that there will be no changes to the name of Indiramma houses. The state government is providing Rs 5 lakh per house, with the Centre contributing Rs 72,000 for rural areas and Rs 1.5 lakh for urban areas. Under the Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana, 1.13 lakh houses have been approved in urban areas. However, clarity on funding for rural areas is still awaited from the Centre, he said.
