Village Revenue Officer’s blunder sparks agitation

Dhone (Kurnool): The Village Revenue Officer (VRO) made a blunder in entering the survey numbers online. As a result, hundreds of farmers have come on to roads and are fighting for justice since 2016. Going into details, the State government ordered the Revenue department officials to identify the forest and patta lands which fall under Pulicherla, Katarkonda and Ramadurgam villages.

Following the orders, the VROs were pressed into the field to carry out the assignment. VRO Ramakrishna Reddy of Pulicherla, Katarkonda and Ramadurgam villages, after identifying the forest land, have entered them online.

But, by negligence, he forgot to exclude patta lands from the forest lands. Actually, the Forest department has an extent of 817.75 acres of land in survey numbers of 93, 94, 141, 142, 143 and 144. Apart from these survey numbers, there are no other lands pertaining to the Forest department.

In between survey numbers 94 to 141, thousands of acres of patta land pertaining to three villagers are there. Without removing the survey numbers of patta lands, the VRO straight away declared the survey numbers 93 to 144 as forest lands.

With this mistake, hundreds of farmers are facing dire consequences from getting loans from banks or elsewhere. The issue came to light when one of the victim Somasekhara Reddy of Pulicherla village approached bank to seek crop loan.

The bank officials denied sanctioning loan on the grounds that the land belongs to the Forest department. Somasekhar Reddy, who was taken aback immediately checked the land details online. He found that his patta land was shown as land belonging to the Forest Department. Without any further delay, he accompanied with other villagers and rushed to Dhone Revenue Office and checked the land records, there too, his patta land was identified with the forest land.

Somasekhar Reddy, speaking to The Hans India here on Monday, said that he was having 10 acres of patta land in Pulicherla village and has inherited the land from his forefathers. “We are raising several varieties of crops after taking crop loans from banks. In the past, no bank official has raised any objection in granting loans as they are patta lands,” he stated.

But last year, the victim said the bank officials denied sanctioning loan stating that the land belongs to the Forest department. “With this, we immediately approached the concerned VRO and the Tahsildar besides checking online.

The revenue records and online entry was also showing it in forest land category,” he lamented. If the problem was not sorted out then they will paralyse the activities of government, he warned. When Hans India correspondent tried to contact the Tahsildar Muni Krishnaiah, he had gone on leave. The In-Charge Tahsildar Ravi Kumar said that he is not aware of the issue.

By V Narendra Kumar