HYDERABAD: Shiva (name changed), currently holding a key position in the office of a Cabinet minister and having previously served in the peshi of former Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhar Reddy, recently discovered a startling issue concerning his ancestral 30-acre land. Authorities flagged the property as ‘Prohibited’ on the Dharani portal, the integrated land revenue records management system introduced by the Telangana government.
Shiva’s situation raises eyebrows, considering his association with high-ranking government officials. However, the Dharani portal, envisioned as a comprehensive solution for land-related matters, has proven to be riddled with problems since its rollout on October 29, 2020.
Despite the government’s claims of transparency, the portal has faced criticism, as evident from numerous complaints received by the Congress government grievance record system, Prajavani. Many individuals find themselves navigating bureaucratic hurdles to resolve issues related to their land holdings.
In Shiva’s case, the revenue authorities demand “proof” in the form of documentary evidence to validate his claim on the land. Ironically, they themselves lack such evidence to support their assertion that the land belongs to the government.
Shiva, tracing his family’s history as landlords during the Nizam period, highlighted the challenge of obtaining land records from the 1950s to 1970s, a requirement imposed by the authorities. Expressing frustration, he lamented the impracticality of such a demand.
Similarly, Dupati Venkateshwarlu, a Central government employee from Nalgonda district, faces a comparable predicament. Despite his mother holding land since 1953, records were mysteriously transferred to relatives’ names on the Dharani portal.
Both Shiva and Venkateshwarlu, faced with potential loss of their legal rights over their ancestral lands, are compelled to seek recourse through the judicial system. The Dharani portal, intended to simplify land administration, has inadvertently become a source of grievances and legal disputes for many landowners in Telangana.
