JANGAON: Farmers, who were allegedly duped in the Bhu Bharati challan scam, have strongly objected to revenue authorities issuing notices to them months after the fraud came to light.
They contend that crores of rupees were siphoned off by MeeSeva and private online centres, causing major revenue loss to the state, while officials failed to act in time.
According to the farmers, they paid the full transaction amounts to MeeSeva or private online centres and were issued receipts. However, the organisers allegedly manipulated the transactions by editing details on the mobile application and generating Bhu Bharati challans for lesser amounts. These altered challans were then verified at multiple levels — from Bhu Bharati operators and Mandal Revenue Officers (MROs) to officials at the Chief Commissioner of Land Acquisition — before approval.
Four months after the transactions, revenue authorities have begun questioning applicants and demanding the balance amounts, a move farmers have termed unfair and a failure of governance. “When we paid the full amount and received receipts, how can we be held responsible for fraud committed by online organisers?” farmers asked, adding that issuing notices to applicants after such a delay reflects systemic lapses.
We are not to blame, assert farmers
Around 100 applicants in Jangaon district have protested the notices, insisting they bear no liability for the scam.
Meanwhile, Jangaon police have taken into custody several MeeSeva and online centre operators across Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Medak, Nalgonda, Khammam, Jangaon and Rangareddy districts. The prime accused, Bhasavaraj, allegedly ran the operation from Yadadri Bhuvanagiri.
Police sources said the accused confessed to manipulating the Bhu Bharati portal, with hundreds of fraudulent challans detected, particularly in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri. Investigators are also probing possible involvement of CCLA staff in the scam, which is believed to have caused substantial loss to government revenue.