Assigned lands regularisation likely to stir up hornets nest

Nellore: Even though the State government gave its nod for regularising lands meant for agriculture purpose in rural areas, the process may lead to legal disputes among multi-buyers of such lands. 

Since transactions on these lands have not been registered there were innumerable dealings that would pose difficulty for the regularisation activity, according to experts. They point out the recent instance of regularisation of assigned lands in urban areas for housing which failed to give fruits.

It may be recalled that the State government had earlier distributed lands to the poor for their livelihood activity and cattle grazing purposes and these assigned lands were found to be around 1 lakh acres in Nellore, Kavali, Gudur and Atmakur revenue divisions when officials conducted survey. In fact, landholders are having no rights on such assigned lands and they can only enjoy them. The alienation is prohibited and still they hugely sold them during last 4-5 decades.   

The government had launched in November 1969 a special crash programme for distribution of assigned government waste lands to the landless poor. The ‘D’ form pattas prohibit alienation of such lands and provide for its resumption as well as re-grant to the eligible persons according to Andhra Pradesh Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfers) Act, 1977. 

As the existing rules do not have any provision for punishment of persons who have purchased such lands, numerous transactions surfaced in the recent past. Due to the recent direction of the State government, lands awarded before 1954 would be considered for regulariation where the holders can sell and transfer them officially. But, it requires amendment to the Act to resolve the issue of 22-A prohibited lands. 

For some time in the city and other parts of the district, these assigned lands were sold for realty purposes where thousands of people purchased them as house plots. Very recently, revenue officials issued notices to some of them. Interestingly, the notices were issued to the people whose names were entered in the government records some 3-4 decades ago.

With the new proposal of the government for giving rights on such lands, legal heirs of the people who sold their assigned lands long back are now approaching the courts saying they had received notices from revenue officials which indicate their legal right. Now, there are many cases between legal heirs and 3rd or 4th generation owners of such lands in the district.

“I have purchased two plots in Nellore city outskirts in 1990 and subsequently we came to know that the lands were assigned to them. Still, there were registrations by the original holder and the subsequent buyers. Now, legal heirs of the first seller are claiming that they are having right on the land,” said V Ranga Reddy (Name changed). He said they were showing notices from the revenue department.

This indicates the land records of the government show only original pattadar and they don’t display subsequent transactions due to restrictions on alienation. Now, experts say the State government has to consider all these difficulties before taking a decision of regularising the lands. Otherwise, they say, there would be additional burden on courts for resolving these issues.

“There are many lands under 22-A restricted lands category in various mandals both for agriculture and housing purposes. The State government had issued directions to regularise assigned lands of the poor issued in urban areas for housing purpose, but the activity proved to be a futile effort where only tens of cases were resolved by the administration,” said a retired Tahsildar from Gudur division.