Land is an emotion, especially for farmers. It is also the most valuable with land rates in Telangana rising astronomically over the past decade. When the Congress government enacted the Telangana Bhu Bharati (Record of Rights in Land) Act, 2025, replacing the controversial Dharani portal launched by the previous government amid widespread allegations of land grabbing, it raised many hopes. Therefore, the scam that surfaced this month in Jangaon district has been a rude awakening.
The Act is ambitious and much needed, as it seeks to map and digitise land records, making them tamper-proof, in line with the central government’s Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme. It is better framed than Dharani because it decentralises power, making the system more transparent and hassle-free. However, implementation is easier said than done. If Dharani triggered large-scale complaints of land grabbing by manipulating titles on the portal, Bhu Bharati now faces an unexpected problem. According to state revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, an audit covering the previous five years unearthed 4,800 cases of irregularities.
Here, land titles were not changed, at least as far as is known. Instead, the modus operandi to syphon government money appears ridiculously simple. Internet operators collected registration fees from farmers as prescribed by rules, but used the edit option to reduce the amount on the portal and pocketed the difference. For example, if ₹10,000 per acre was paid, the amount was edited to show ₹1,000, with the balance taken away. In one shocking instance, a challan was issued for even ₹1. The estimated loss to the exchequer is about ₹52 crore, though unofficial sources place it far higher. At least 3,000 irregular cases were detected in Rangareddy and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri districts alone, raising fears that the statewide numbers could be much larger.
The government has ordered a comprehensive audit of all transactions from 2020 and vowed to spare none. Prima facie, it is evident that despite decentralisation and relaxed norms, poor monitoring has enabled corruption. It is logical to suspect that this could not have occurred without collusion from government officials. Authorities claim the so-called glitch has been rectified, but that a one-time audit is not enough; continuous monitoring is essential. Farmers must verify details themselves. Instead, revenue officials are serving notices on farmers, a practice which deserves firm criticism.