Telangana Digital Survey of Agricultural Lands Will Protect Rights of Owners: KCR

The State government will soon begin an ambitious programme of conducting a digital survey of agricultural lands in Telangana as part of its efforts to find a permanent solution to land disputes in Telangana. 

To begin with, a trial project would be started in 27 villages across the state on June 11, including three villages under Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao's Gajwel Assembly constituency.

KCR held a review meeting for the digital survey and its objective of strengthening land records to protect land owners' rights at a meeting with representatives of digital survey agencies at Pragathi Bhavan on Wednesday. He explained that “We have brought in Dharani portal only to protect the land rights of the poor. With an aim to make Telangana a land disputes-free state, the government has decided to conduct a digital survey of agricultural lands. Our aim is to fix the land coordinates and thereby provide total security and protection to the pattadars on a permanent basis."

“This assignment should be executed efficiently as a social service being rendered to farmers rather than as a business proposition,” the Chief Minister told the survey agencies.

According to the Chief Minister, countries with settled land disputes saw a 3 to 4% increase in GDP. He stated that the pilot survey should be conducted in villages where there are no land disputes at first. The survey should be carried out in a mixed group of villages, both where there are no disputes and where there are, to gain field experience on the matter. Following that, the Chief Minister requested that total guidelines be prepared for the entire state survey.

He discussed with survey agencies the survey's guidelines. He also enquired with them about the proposed action plan in depth. He proposed state-of-the-art technology so that there would be no disputes over even a single square foot of land.