New land reforms will end farmers trauma: CM KCR

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao stated that the proposed reforms relating to land and property rights will free farmers from the trauma and harassment that they have been facing since many years.

During a discussion in the Legislative Council on Monday on Telangana Rights in Land and Pattadar Passbooks Bill and others related to land holdings, the Chief Minister said several new changes have been brought during the tenures of former chief ministers NT Rama Rao, N Chandrababu Naidu and YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

"Telangana has witnessed the scrapping of Patel-Patwari system leading to Village Assistant System, and latest being in existence is the Village Revenue Officers system prevailing in the State. However, the VRO system has not only become irrelevant, but also turned into a burden," he said, adding that nearly 98.3 per cent of farmers in the State own less than 10 acres and 80 per cent of farmers holding less than 5 acres.

He said that majority of the poor, small and marginal farmers having land less than 5 acres belong to the SC, ST, BC and minority communities.

Adding that formation of separate Telangana has boosted up land rates not only in Greater Hyderabad but also in district headquarters, Chandrashekar Rao said the increase in the land rates has led to land grabbing and covert activities by the land mafia.

He said that the VRO system, accorded with unnecessary powers, has been misused, and similarly the discretionary powers vested with the sub-registrars caused problems for the farmers and land owners.

Chandrashekar Rao said the State government has been contemplating the reforms for a long and has now decided to put in place a transparent system.

As part of the new reforms, he said that the State government would be hosting the Dharani portal for the agriculture and non-agriculture land registration and rights. The new portal would provide a seamless interface for registration, mutation, update and issuance of land record to the people, he said.

The Chief Minister said the State government would give gazette notification specifying the land rates of every inch of land in the State, and the registration authorities would have no discretionary authority.