Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is reportedly considering regularizing illegally freed 5.74 lakh acres of land during YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s regime. The value of this land is at least Rs 90,000 crores. Of this, 2.69 lakh acres of land was freed without records.
The Revenue Department estimates that its value is at least Rs 35,000 crores. To whom did the Jagan government, which illegally and haphazardly freed such valuable land, want to distribute it? In whose account did it want to put those lands? Who did it want to rob? The Jagan government has succumbed to public anger without having the opportunity to know these.
What should be done about these land irregularities now? The coalition government is now considering resolving these lands. Even if the Jagan government has been able to stop the series of irregularities, it is not clear how to regularize the irregularities that occurred when the government changed.
A cabinet sub-committee has already been formed to find a way out. On the other hand, the Chief Minister directed the Revenue Department in the recently held Collectors’ Conference to take suggestions and advice from revenue experts, intellectuals, retired All India Service officers and elders who are knowledgeable about lands in the state.
On the other hand, district collectors, joint collectors and revenue experts are sending their suggestions and advice to the government through different channels. The Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by Revenue Minister Angani Satya Prasad met for the first time and discussed several key issues. It will meet again on the 17th of this month.
The previous government brought GO 596 in violation of the Assigned Lands Act-1977. According to this, assigned lands that have expired for 20 years should be removed from Prohibited List 22(A). After that, freehold certificates should be provided to the owners of those lands. Based on them, farmers can sell their lands to others. However, this process did not go smoothly.
The Revenue Department has confirmed that out of 13.59 lakh acres of freehold land, 5.74 lakh acres were illegally freeholded. It has stopped the registration of freehold and assigned lands. It has prevented new irregularities from happening. However, the government is receiving many proposals on what decision to take regarding the irregularities that have already been identified.