Tenant farmers of Wakf lands will get cheques in 2nd phase: Dy CM

Hyderabad : The tenant farmers of the Wakf and Endowment lands will not be getting the cheques of Rs. 4,000 per acre per crop in the forthcoming programme of distribution of cheques and new patta pass books which is schedule to start from May 10 to 17. 
 
Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali informed that the cheque distribution for these tenant farmers has to be postponed to second phase due to printing mistakes. Instead of mentioning Wakf/Endowment Department as owner, tenant farmers' names got printed in owners' column in passbooks. Therefore, the cheques to tenant farmers will be distributed in the second phase, he said. Further, the beneficiaries, who own lands, but are working in Gulf or other countries, could collect passbooks and cheques by giving authoritisation letter to others. In case of sick people, the officials will visit personally to their houses and handover the documents to them, he said.
 
Dy CM refutes allegations of corruption
 
The Deputy Chief Minister has refuted the allegation made Congress Chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy of a scam of Rs. 80 crores in printing of Patta Pass Books and the books are ordinary without having mentioned features. He said that the allegations were being made by the opposition parties only political for mileage. "When the overall expenditure on printing works cost only Rs. 90 crore, how there could be a scam of Rs. 80 crore?" he questioned.
 
He said that the contract of printing works of Patta Passbooks was given to eight companies from various parts of the country after calling tenders. A total of 58.06 lakhs cheques and passbooks have been printed for 140.20 crores acres of land. An amount of Rs. 5392.29 crores for 134.81 crores acres of land will be distributed from May 10 to 17 and if required, the deadline will be extended for 2-3 days. The balance 1.92 lakhs cheques amounting to Rs. 215.80 crores for a extent of 5.39 lakh acres will be distributed on May 9 only.