GUNTUR: In a landmark decision bringing long-awaited relief to local farmers, Bapatla District Collector J Venkata Murali announced the restoration of ownership rights for 102 acres of land in Muttupalli village of Nizampatnam mandal, which was in legal ambiguity for decades. Speaking at a meeting with the affected farmers at the Collectorate on Friday, he stated that the 102 acres, classified under Section 22 as prohibited land, will now be officially recognised as privately owned agricultural land.
The 87 farmers, who have been cultivating the land for generations, will be issued passbooks, granting them full ownership and legal rights. The issue dates back to 1987, when the land was erroneously recorded as government wasteland by revenue officials, despite continuous cultivation by the rightful owners. The misclassification went uncorrected for over six decades, leaving the farmers without legal claim to their land.
The farmers appealed to the Collector recently, highlighting the difficulties caused by their land being listed under restricted categories. Upon investigation, the district administration reviewed old revenue records and concluded that the land indeed belonged to the farmers. After consulting with higher authorities, the land was officially recognised as cultivable private land.
Bapatla District Collector J Venkata Murali assured the farmers that the updated entries would be made in revenue records and that each of them would receive documentation confirming full ownership. RDO Ramalakshmi (Repalle), Nizampatnam tahsildar M Srinivasa Rao, and farmers from Muttupalli village participated in the meeting.