TIRUCHY: With samba season beginning, farmers in Tiruchy complained they were facing hardships to avail of government assistance due to errors in patta. Patta is an important revenue document accepted as proof of land ownership to avail government assistance. But several farmers said their names have been misspelt in document.
Ownership of land, traditionally, is passed on to next generation. Though farmers do get the names updated in the registration document, they fail to update details in patta, and the forefathers remain owners. Also in certain cases, misspelt names in pattas prepared manually do not match when farmers register for availing benefits.
Since the manual method of correcting patta is time taking and as samba season has begun farmers appealed to the government to organise special camps to correct patta details. Copy of patta has to be produced by a farmer to buy inputs at subsidy, avail financial aid announced by the government, to prove that he owned the land.
Speaking to TNIE, V Rajaram, president, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, said, “The government has not taken steps to verify details in individual land patta from the 1980s. Also, digitalisation of patta has several errors while being uploaded into the database. Many farmers are not aware of such mistakes.” He appealed to the State government to organise a special campaign like it was done in 1974 to update patta data .
R Subramaniam, a farmer in Tiruchy, said, “To correct details in our pattas, we have to visit a Taluk office or village administration office and have to file a form along with copy of needed documents. After verification, the changes will be made.” Farmers who have to change or correct details in patta can approach the E-service centres.