A round table of the opposition parties and retired bureaucrats has demanded that the government enact the proposed new Revenue Act after holding wide ranging consultations with all stakeholders.
The draft of the legislation should be put up for public debate and steps should be taken to conduct a comprehensive land survey so that the revenue records could be updated. The government should hold discussions with all political parties before enacting the proposed legislation. The round table was convened by the Communist Party of India on Thursday and it was attended by among others CPI state secretary Chada Venkat Reddy, Telangana Jana Samiti president M. Kodandaram, Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy of the TDP, M. Kodanda Reddy (Congress), S. Malla Reddy (CPI (M)) and retired IAS officer Gopala Rao.
Mr. Kodandaram said the government should keep in view the recommendations made by the Koneru Ranga Rao Committee that studied land issues before preparing the new legislation. There was need to put the draft legislation for public debate and it should be referred to the select committee so that a comprehensive study on the issue could be made.
‘Unilateral decisions’
Mr. Venkat Reddy alleged that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was creating problems to the people through his unilateral decisions and the government was yet to implement the Koneru Ranga Rao Committee recommendations.
The existing land records were full of lapses and the government should take steps to ensure that these shortcomings were bridged before the new legislation was drafted. The Chief Minister, he alleged, did not concede the request for holding meeting of the political parties and farmers’ organisations before taking up exercise on the preparation of the draft legislation.
Ryots suffering
Mr. Kodanda Reddy lamented that over 80 % of the farmers were yet to receive their pattadar passbooks because of the lopsided policies of the government. Scores of farmers’ families were adversely affected by the decisions of the government.
Mr. Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy advised the government not to bring in the legislation in a hurried manner as was done in the case of the Municipal Act.
Although the government had constituted an expert committee to study the issue, it would submit a report which was to the liking of the Chief Minister.
Senior journalist K. Srinivas Reddy said the government’s existing land management process comprised of several issues pertaining to the record of rights and their implementation could result in conflicts between farmers.