Bhu Bharathi will introduce Bhu Matha, a new online portal replacing Dharani, the land records management system established under the RoR Act 2020 by the previous BRS government.
Published Dec 18, 2024 | 6:53 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 18, 2024 | 6:53 PM
Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy addresses the Telangana Legislative Assembly (screengrab)
The Telangana government introduced the Record of Rights (RoR) Bill 2024 – Bhu Bharathi – on Wednesday, 18 December, in the state assembly, with an aim to modernise and streamline land records management.
Bhu Bharathi will introduce Bhu Matha, a new online portal replacing Dharani, the land records management system established under the RoR Act 2020 by the previous BRS government. The bill mandates digitising all land records and making them accessible online through Bhu Matha.
While the BRS government promoted Dharani as an advanced land records system, the then-opposition Congress claimed it was designed to dispossess the poor of their lands.
The Bhu Bharathi bill introduces a Bhudhaar system, similar to Aadhaar, assigning unique Bhudhaar numbers to land parcels for better identification and management of land records.
Explaining the bill in the assembly, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said the legislation includes a multi-level appeal system to resolve land disputes swiftly. Land disputes can be addressed at the tahsildar, RDO, and collector levels, with land tribunals at division, district, and state levels.
The minister assured the assembly that the new act will protect both private and government-owned lands. He added that individuals who built houses on abadi (Grama Kantham) land, previously reserved for public use under village panchayats, will gain ownership rights. The act also allows land-use changes for non-agricultural purposes.
Under the new framework, Revenue Divisional Officers (RDOs) must process land-use change applications within a specified period. The government can also take punitive action against fraudulent activities. Collectors can cancel pattadar passbooks obtained through fraudulent means, and offenders may face prosecution. Officials involved in record tampering or issuing illegal certificates risk dismissal from service.
Minister Srinivasa Reddy clarified that the government introduced the new RoR Act solely in the public interest, not out of spite toward the previous administration. “We are not bringing in Bhu Matha in place of Dharnai out of spite against the previous government,” he stated.
He noted that the Congress government had fulfilled its promise of discarding Dharani. “We have kept the draft bill on the revenue department’s site for 40 days inviting suggestions. We have brought the new bill after studying ROR Acts in 18 states.
“Under this Act, each village will have a revenue officer. The number of modules in the portal has been brought down to six to make transactions easy and hassle-free,” the minister explained.
Earlier, BRS working president and Sircilla MLA KT Rama Rao drove an auto-rickshaw to the Assembly, accompanied by party MLAs, to highlight the government’s alleged insensitivity toward auto drivers. They wore khaki outfits as a symbolic gesture.
Speaking to the media, KTR accused the Congress government of neglecting auto drivers, claiming 93 had died by suicide after losing their livelihoods due to free bus rides for women on RTC buses. He pledged his party’s support to auto drivers. The BRS moved an adjournment motion to discuss auto drivers’ issues, but the assembly rejected it.
Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu criticised Rao for allegedly misleading the Assembly. He questioned how the BRS could expect the Congress government to accomplish in one year what the BRS failed to achieve in ten. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to delivering its six electoral guarantees.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
