Hyderabad: Special Revenue drive to offer public services

Hyderabad: As part of the measures to minimise the role of middlemen in people availing themselves of Revenue services, the department officials of Bahadurpura mandal rolled out a special drive to facilitate the public, including students, to apply for caste and other certificates in their own areas.

Following reports that middlemen are duping gullible people promising them financial assistance under the 'Shaadi Mubarak' and 'Kalyana Lakshmi' schemes and filing fake/ forged certificates, Bahadurpura MRO N Ramulu mooted the idea to reach out to people directly and facilitate them to avail the required services at their doorstep.

Ramulu said, "We conducted a special drive on Tuesday at GHMC Park, Kishanbagh, to allow people to approach officials directly and avail Revenue services, like applying for caste and other certificates. The drive will continue; officials will hold a similar camp at Sudha Talkies in the next phase. This way we can minimise the role of middlemen and help people in availing of the Revenue services at their doorstep.

"As there were cases of middleman hoodwinking gullible people and even indulging in forgery by filing fake certificates, we have decided to reach out to people to facilitate them avail Revenue services in their own areas. Our primary aim is to weed out middlemen and allow people to approach officials directly for certificates they need the most," he explained.

Considered densely populated mandal in the Old City, the Bahadurpura area is a home to 83,740 families--with 242,567 men and 225,591 women. They form an overall population of 468,158 people (2011 Census).

Sharing boundaries with Charminar mandal on the east, Asifnagar mandal on the west and Rajendranagar mandal on the south, the Bahadurpura mandal is on the bank of Musi river starting from Puranapool and concluding at Mir Alam Filter on the busy National Highway-44.

Though the Revenue records show that the Bahadurpura mandal enjoys 80 per cent literacy, its socio-economic conditions of present a different picture. Tight housing, unhygienic colonies, lack of proper roads and sanitation make it an under-privilege area, where a majority of population lives below the poverty line.

As most poor and unlettered people of the mandal applied for the 'Shaadi Mubarak' and 'Kalyana Lakshmi' schemes, middleman saw opportunities in the mandal office and offered their service in return for some monetary benefit. Some even arrange fake certificates to applicants to ensure files get nod of officials. The recent unearthing of fake certificates found appended with applications prompted officials to scrutinise and rinse out more such middlemen.