Deadline missed again, 7 lakh passbooks not distributed

HYDERABAD: The latest deadline of June 20 set by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for distribution of pattadar passbooks and rectification of records too will not be met. This is because the revenue department has to still distribute to farmers as many as seven lakh passbooks.

Though officials claim that the printing of passbooks has been completed and they have been sent to the respective district headquarters, farmers are being informed that their passbooks would be ready by next month.

Official sources said while the revenue department ordered printing of about 50 lakh passbooks, only 43 lakh have been printed and distributed till date. Even in the 43 lakhs, four to five lakh books were found to have mistakes regarding name, gender, land extent and other details.

In Jagityal district, which is claimed to be top in purification of land records, about 30,000 books are yet to be distributed. "Since passbooks have not come, the tehsildar office has handed over Rythu Bandhu cheque to us. The tehsildar office told us that passbooks would be distributed from June 10 to 12. But till date the books have not come," Vojjala Prabhakar, a resident of Jagityal, told TOI.

CM KCR, who has been unhappy over the manner of distribution of passbooks, printing errors, Aadhaar seeding and technical glitches in Dharani website, held a review meeting with ministers and collectors a month ago and asked revenue officials to complete the distribution of passbooks by June 20. Originally the books were supposed to be distributed by May 23. The CM had then said that along with collectors, ministers should take up the responsibility of distribution of passbooks and cheques. He said a special policy would be announced on the issue of passbooks and Rythu Bandhu cheques which is yet to be announced.

Though the chief minister set deadlines, tehsildars say there have been major issues at the ground level with regard to digital signatures and rectifications of records. The state government is also clueless about farmers and land owners who have not come forward to give their Aadhaar number to revenue officials.

Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA) director Vakati Karuna said 43 lakh passbooks have been distributed and that another five lakh passbooks require corrections pertaining to spelling mistakes, gender, photographs and land extent. "It would take two more weeks to complete the entire exercise," she said.