The Andhra Pradesh Government will begin a massive exercise next week to study the land issue at a habitat level, enumerate legal and other land disputes. The exercise will begin on January 18, when Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy, Chief Minister, inaugurates Revenue Sadassus (meets) programme at China Gottimukkala village in Medak district.

One of the key issues on agenda is to resolve problems related to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, totalling an extent of 24 lakh acres. Distributed over decades, this land is mired in disputes creating problems to the vulnerable sections. Society for Elimination of Rural Poor (SERP or Indira Kranthi Patham) has done a survey and submitted a detailed report to the State on the issue.

Ministers and people's representatives in their respective districts and constituencies would start the 60-day programme that day.

“Though the Revenue Ministry is responsible for several issues, this time we are going to focus only on land issues. We have asked the officials to go with a seven-point agenda to each and every habitat. If we gather information and listen to problems at habitat level, we need not repeat this exercise every year. From next year, we can focus on village or mandal level,” Mr N. Raghuveera Reddy, Minister for Revenue, said.

Addressing newspersons after discussing the programme with District Collectors through video-conference here on Friday, the Minister said the SERP had done a wonderful job in identifying the huge problem of land. “Over 90 per cent of issues could be resolved and we will solve them during the two-month programme,” he said.

6th phase land distribution

During the programme, the Revenue officials would also survey and finalise land that is to be distributed to the poor in the sixth phase of land distribution. “We have so far identified 90,000 acres for this. But this will be finalised,” the Minister said.

So far, the Government had distributed 7 lakh acres in five phases since 2004. However, this programme hit a snag as 1.25 lakh acres of land has not yet been transferred to the beneficiaries. The Government hopes to resolve this issue too.

kurmanath@thehindu.co.in

comment COMMENT NOW