Lands illegally allotted to firms will be taken back: Ponguleti
HYDERABAD: Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy on Wednesday said that the Congress government was working on streamlining Dharani, the integrated land records management system, fulfilling the promise of “throwing the portal into the Bay of Bengal”.
The minister said: “We will introduce around 13 columns in land records with references to history of ownership as against a single column that is in the existing system.”
In an exclusive chat with TNIE on the occasion of completion of one year in office, Srinivas Reddy said, “It has been a very satisfying year. We have effectively addressed the most pressing issues of the people, who in turn offered love and affection,” he said, adding that already qualitative changes had been brought in Dharani portal.
“We cleared 5.5 lakh pending applications. Complete transfer of Dharani to NIC was effected on December 1,” he said.
“The then BRS government had kept the status of Dharani applications in the dark. We are transparently processing the applications,” he said and pointed out that they had drafted RoR Bill, 2024, after studying related Acts in 18 different states in the country.
“The CM and the revenue minister have not decided the contents of the Revenue Act sitting behind closed doors. We have placed the Bill in the state Assembly, inviting suggestions from the people to formulate the Act. It is the most democratic way,” he said.
The RoR Act, 2024, would be a role model for the entire country, he said.
The minister also informed that they were considering bringing in a change in the nomenclature for the integrated land records management system. He said that they were currently considering around nine different names.
Srinivasa Reddy said that the state government would take back all the government lands which were illegally allotted to private institutions and individuals in the last 10 years.
He said that the government had already identified about 1,800 to 2,000 acres of prime land — predominantly in and around Hyderabad, worth thousands of crores — which was illegally registered in the name of private institutions and individuals.
He said that they would consider 2014 Pahani to verify the nature and ownership of the land.
“We have identified that out of total 15.6 lakh acres of land kept in Part B, a total of 12.5 lakh acres of land belongs to forest, endowment, revenue, Wakf Board, and the remaining three lakh acres of land is having boundary issues, which would be solved,” he said.
Indiramma housing app to be launched on Thursday
The minister said that CM Revanth Reddy will release the housing app on Thursday. He said that the implementation of Indiramma Indlu scheme is delayed due to the launch of an app through which all the progress will be monitored.
He said that they had already taken a policy decision to prioritise differently-abled, widow, landless, sanitary workers, and other underprivileged people. “We are yet to distribute house pattas to 8.56 lakh beneficiaries,” he said.
Law will take its own course
Stating that there were no deadlines for arresting Opposition BRS leaders, the Revenue minister said such cut off dates do not exist.
“KTR was involved in transferring money in foreign currency without any approvals in the Formula E race case. When the investigation agencies sought permission from the governor to prosecute him, the latter knelt down before Delhi. We know who all he (KTR) met in Delhi,” he said.