HYDERABAD: Is the revenue department performing well because of pressure? As it has been facing corruption charges, the revenue officials initiated corrective measures at several offices in the State in the last few days. On Tuesday, the Keesara Revenue Division officials declared that 12 villages in six mandals of their revenue division have no land-related disputes.
“We have initiated a drive five days back and are declaring today that 12 villages in six mandals have no land-related disputes. Their titles are clear,” Keesara RDO V Lachi Reddy told Express. He said that the drive would continue till May 7. “Our target is to declare all the villages in six mandals in Keesara division with no land-related disputes,” Reddy said.
This is the first initiative by revenue officials in Medchal-Malkajgiri district, after the State government started efforts to bring revolutionary changes in the revenue department in June/July. There have been numerous complaints against revenue officials, including bribery. Several tahsildars put up notices with telephone numbers of all senior officials of the district, including district Collector, to lodge complaints if any official asks for a bribe.
“When purification of land records took place in 2017, some minor issues were not resolved due to technical glitches in the system. These unresolved issues were creating apprehensions among the public. Thus, we have decided to make Keesara as a model division by resolving the pending issues,” Lachi Reddy said.
As part of this special drive —named as Mee Bhoomi-Mee Patralu (your land-your documents)—the officials were hearing the problems of farmers, examining the documents and comparing these documents with revenue records.
In Keesara division, 12 villages in six mandals—Medchal, Shamirpet, Keesara, Ghatkesar, Medipally and Uppal—were declared free of all disputes. In all these 12 villages, a total number of 1,927 revenue khatas existed. Out of which, non-agriculture/notional/not clear khatas are 734. Total agriculture khatas are 1,193 and pattadar passbooks were issued for these 1,193 khatas. “These villages are error-free villages from Tuesday onwards,” the officials declared.
“Our ultimate goal is that no farmer should visit any revenue office over land related disputes,” Lachi Reddy said.
“As part of the drive so far we have received 794 complaints from farmers. We have resolved 729 problems till date,” he said. “Change within is now our slogan,” a revenue employee remarked.
‘Divine’ intervention
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has been on the offensive against the Revenue department and has made his intentions to scrap the department, very clear. Upset with Rao’s anger towards them, a few Revenue employees met with Chinna Jeeyar Swamy, known to be close to Rao, asking him to convince the CM into withdrawing his offensive. The Swamy reportedly told them that ‘God would save the department’.