Revenue department plans district-level meetings

Vijayawada: The revenue department has finalised an action plan to conduct the district-level meetings with land owners to resolve petitions related to land disputes after completion of the Assembly session. 

Revenue minister KE Krishna Murthy will directly participate and pursue the land disputes. According to officials, nearly two lakh complaints are pending with the revenue department from across the state. The ruling TDP MLAs are also serious about the unresolved complaints.  

According to officials, the revenue department listed nearly two lakh acres in 'registrations banned lands' list. Many complaints belonged to Krishna, Guntur, East Godavari, Prakasam, Nellore and Visakhapatnam districts. Similarly, 20,000 applications were pending with the revenue department in dotted lands issue.

Even after the MLAs of TDP raised the topic in the Assembly several times, the revenue department totally failed to address the petitions. MLA Thota Trimurthulu expressed angry with the state government machinery while Jaggaiahpet MLA Sriram Rajagopal also expressed serious concern over the issue.

In fact, the revenue department gave instructions to collectors to resolve the petitions but they did not take any initiative in this regard.The district-level committees should give notices to land owners and conduct the enquiry to resolve the grievances.

But the committee never conducted meetings to solve the petitions. In this backdrop, revenue minister KE Krishna Murthy planned to conduct the district-wise meetings. All the officials of revenue department including the district collectors will take part in the meetings. 

Officer on special duty to revenue minister O Gopalam speaking to The Hans India said the minister will personally conduct the meetings and all the landowners should attend the meeting and produce their ownership title deeds. 

One senior IAS officer said that his family members are also victims of land disputes. He wondered as to how the revenue department included their lands in banned lands’ list without serving notices.

However, the revenue department is blaming the previous government for including the lands in banned lands list. But K Sitarambabu, a land owner from Guntur district, said his land was included in banned lands’ list in 2015.