Exempt us from land admin duties, say staff
Associations say administration became cumbersome
Telangana revenue department employees, who are shell-shocked at the brutal killing of mandal revenue officer K Vijaya Reddy, have decided to demand that the state government exempt them from land administration duties.
Vijaya Reddy was set on fire in her own office by a man with a grudge over a land dispute.
Leaders of the Telangana Deputy Collectors Association, Village Revenue Officers’ Welfare Association, Village Revenue Officers’ Association and Village Revenue Assistants Associations are of the opinion that the job of land administration has became difficult and cumbersome in view of the various lacunae in the age-old legislations including the Tenancy, Land Ceiling and Inam Lands Act.
The associations are already burdened by protocol and welfare programmes and they are not in a position to spare time for land administration which is a crucial aspect of revenue administration.
The Association leaders, V Latchireddy, S Ramulu and G Upender Rao said that having one’s name in the revenue records is not conclusive proof for conferring the land title, and revenue records can be revised at any time.
They pointed out that records and maps which should show boundaries and extent of lands in each of the revenue villages of the state are not available and in many villages the boundary stones have disappeared.
They also pointed out that settlement of land disputes are not time bound and many are pending before the revenue courts.
Once every 40 years, the land survey has to take place in the state, but since 80 years, there has been no such survey in the state.
Maintaining that 66 per cent of cases are pending in civil courts, the revenue associations’ leaders said that to resolve land disputes, a comprehensive land survey has to be undertaken across the state and comprehensive revenue code must be introduced after reviewing all the land and revenue Acts which are in force in the state. They also felt that land dispute tribunals have to be set up in the state and the land records have to be revised with the active cooperation of the people having a stake in the land holdings across the state.
The associations argue that they are already burdened by welfare programmes and they are not in a position to spare time for land administration, a crucial aspect of revenue administration.