Guv Jishnu Dev Varma’s nod for TG Bhu Bharati

Hyderabad: Governor Jishnu Dev Varma has given his assent to the Telangana Bhu Bharati (Record of Rights) Act which has been passed by the State Legislature in the recently held winter session of the state Assembly.

Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy has said that the government will take necessary measures to ensure the enforcement of the legislation at the earliest. The government had already assured to frame the rules relating to the new Act within two months of it securing the Governor’s approval.

The State government has introduced the Record of Rights Act replacing the Telangana Rights in Land and Pattadar Passbooks Act, 2020 introduced by the previous BRS government. Land owners and farmers cultivating assigned lands faced numerous problems ever since the introduction of the 2020 Act as it had no grievance redressal mechanism nor was there scope for appeal at the village level.

Keeping in view the difficulties faced by the people, particularly farmers, the Congress government has constituted a committee of experts which recommended the repeal of the legislation and introduction of a comprehensive Act in the interests of the farmers. The committee, after conducting a series of interactions with the stakeholders, prepared a draft Act which was kept in the public domain seeking suggestions of the people. This was a first-of-its-kind move to keep the draft legislation in public domain and ensure its passage after incorporating suggestions from the stakeholders.

Srinivas Reddy said the new Act had been designed to provide permanent solutions to land-related grievances and directed the officials concerned to focus on framing rules and procedures for the Act. Interestingly, the BRS government which introduced the Record of Rights Act did not firm up rules relating to it for four years since its enactment.

The Minister recalled how the common man and farmers faced hardships because of the lopsided Act introduced by the previous government. There was not a single village across the State without land problems as the previous government diluted revenue administration with focus on “selfish interests” rather than the larger interest of the people. The State government had already initiated steps to ensure that services of revenue administration reached the village level and also to recruit village-level officers to oversee revenue affairs in all the 10,950 revenue villages, the minister said, adding that the exercise was in the final stages.

He appealed to the officials concerned to work in accordance with the government’s vision so that revenue administration reaches the people at the grassroots level.