HYDERABAD: Shiva (name changed), who served in the peshi of former chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh Dr YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s peshi and currently holds a similar position in the office of one of the Cabinet ministers, was shocked to learn that authorities have flagged his 30 acres land, which he inherited, under the head of ‘Prohibited’ lands.
Shiva’s predicament makes one wonder how a person serving in the office of people in the higher echelons of the government could face such a problem with regard to ancestral property.
The answer is simple. The issue arose after the rollout of the Dharani portal — the integrated land revenue records management system that was supposed to be a one-stop solution for land-related issues.
Teething problems that linger
On October 29, 2020, the Telangana government rolled out the Dharani portal computerising land records pertaining to around 1,45,58,000 acres, claiming it to be a revolutionary step in land administration. The then chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, while cautioning that there could be “teething problems” with the new system, also claimed that it was a “transparent” system. But reality seems otherwise.
Dharani portal turned out to be plagued by problems as evidenced by a majority of complaints received at the Congress government grievance record system, Prajavani. The complainants say that they are forced to run from pillar to post to get their issues resolved.
The Revenue authorities have asked Shiva to get “proof” (read as documentary evidence) to substantiate his claim on the land. intriguingly, the authorities too lack documentary evidence to support their claim that it is actually government land.
“My great-grandfather was a landlord. He used to hold some hundreds of acres during the Nizam period. However, after the enforcement of the Land Ceiling Act, our family renounced some land. Now, I hold a small holding of 30 acres for which I have all the necessary documents. But, the authorities are asking me to get the land records from the 1950s to 1970s. How can I or anyone get it?” lamented Shiva.
Left with very little options
Although Shiva enjoys possession of the land and continues to grow crops just like his ancestors, his legal rights were denied through the Dharani portal. Shiva said that he was left with the only option — knocking on the doors of the judiciary.
Dupati Venkateshwarlu, a Central government employee and native of Miryalaguda mandal of Nalgonda district, also faces a similar issue. His mother purchased a land parcel measuring 1 acre and 34 guntas in 1953. The land records were on her name from 1953, until the Dharani portal was finally rolled out in 2020. The authorities somehow managed to transfer her property to her relatives’ names.
‘Magic’ at work
“Initially, the particulars of our land were shown as ‘under suspension’. But, magically, after some days, the same has disappeared as the illegal alienation was officially endorsed,” Venkateshwarlu said.
Needless to say, it’s not just Shiva or Venkateshwarlu — hundreds of people across the state are facing similar issues with regard to ancestral properties.
As the State government appointed a committee intending to bring reforms to the existing system, it remains to be seen whether such issues would be addressed.
What is Dharani supposed to be?
Single source of truth for all data pertaining to land records
Combination the registration and land records functions related to the agricultural land
Automatic trigger for mutation following registration or based on a request from the department or citizens