In a move to bring reforms in revenue administration, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) on Wednesday introduced four new bills - the Telangana Rights in Land and Pattadar Passbooks Bill, 2020, the Telangana Abolition of the Posts of Village Revenue Officers Bill, 2020, Telangana Municipal Laws Amendment Bill 2020 and Panchayat Raj Amendment Bill 2020.
While introducing the Bills, CM KCR said it will bring revolutionary changes in land administration and it is aimed at addressing all land-related issues of the public in a transparent manner. He also said that the Bills will enable online mutation (change of title deed) of the land and give virtual access to agricultural and non agricultural land once digitisation of land records is complete after a survey. The new Bills have also proposed to scrap the discretionary powers of the Tehsildars, Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) and Joint Collector. It has, however, given the Sub-Registrar the task of administering non-agricultural land while the Tehsildar will look after the administration of agricultural land.
As per some estimates, the state has over 1.50 crore acres of agricultural land and 1.25 crore acres of non-agricultural lands. The Bills propose to bring agricultural land under the administration of Tehsildars of respective mandals while non-agricultural lands under the Sub Registrars
Unlike the past, the process of land registration will be automatic and completely computerised, with an auto-locking system accompanied with default classification of the lands. This will be fully Information Technology (IT)-driven as the land record goes completely online.
The selling, buying and mutation of the land will be done in minutes after booking an online slot for the same.The Bills have also proposed the scrapping of three-tier revenue courts citing inconsistencies in its functioning. Instead, it proposes to set up 16 fast track tribunals to solve the pending 16,000 revenue cases.
The new Bills aim to bring in transparency and ease land-related redressal mechanisms. Although the Bills aim to abolish the VRO system, Village Revenue Officers and Village Revenue Assistants (VRAs) were assured job security with the government stating that they will be placed in different departments.
VROs seek clarification
Village revenue officials and Tehisildars have in the past been accused of irregularities and corruption in land related affairs. Telangana Village Revenue Officers Welfare Association has welcomed the Bills and the abolition of VROs. They have, however, demanded certain clarifications.
Sudhakar Rao Harale, State General Secretary of the VRO Welfare Association, said, "We categorically welcome the new Bills, but we want the government to release clear guidelines and the procedure of sending us to other departments. This shall not affect our interests as we have served the department for decades."
He also said that the government should also clarify on forthcoming promotions and scale of salary. Rao also added, "Overall, we don't have any objection with the proposed Bill, but we urge the government to keep officials who have been working for three decades in the Revenue Department, as their retirement is nearing."
At present, land ownership documents were given to people as per the Pattadar Passbooks Act 1971 or Right of Record Act 1971.
Mixed responses
Experts in the area of land laws say that the new Bills pave the way to bring in transparency. M Sunil Kumar, Professor at NALSAR University of Law and an expert on agricultural laws said that this new act would bring in positive changes and transparency in land administration.
In an interview to ETV Sunil Kumar said, "With this act, the procedure for getting the right of record (RoR)/ patta will be made easy. The change in dispute redressal system is going to ease the procedure of getting the patta or RoR into the hands of farmers."
He said that giving the land extract document at the respective office soon after buying is a revolutionary change through online slot booking, while adding that buying and mutation along with updation at the same office (Sub-Registrar in the case of Non-Agricultural Land and Tehsildar in the case of Agricultural Land) will reduce money and human intervention.
Sunil Kumar has also advised that there should be a system of free legal aid to the poor who are seeking revenue cases. On the other hand, Telangana People's Assembly, an independent collective of civil society and several NGOs are opposing the Bills stating that it requires broad-based consultations.
In a statement the collective said, "We believe that Bills of this nature would potentially have far reaching implications for various sections such as the small, marginal, tenant farmers, SCs, STs and Backward Classes and women who are entirely dependent on assignment and forest lands etc, for their livelihood. It is also quite disturbing that Bills with such wide consequences are being posted in the midst of a pandemic. when barely any public consultation is possible."
The collective also demanded that there should be adequate time for consultation and by providing an adequate window of time/opportunity for receiving the feedback and inputs before it passed by the Assembly.