Revenue reforms: Telangana government scraps joint collector posts

HYDERABAD: After bringing in amendments to the Panchayat Raj Act and Municipalities Act with more responsibilities and accountability to both officials and elected representatives, the Telangana government is gearing up for overhaul of the revenue administration.
Two days before the collectors’ conference, the government transferred 49 cadre and non-cadre officers and created two new additional collector posts in each district. An additional collector would be incharge of local bodies, likely to supervise panchayats and municipalities on day to day basis. “Additional collector will be made incharge for overseeing Palle Pragati and Pattana Pragati programmes,” a senior official said.
Official sources said creation of new additional collector posts was part of revenue reforms, which would be brought in the form of a new revenue legislation. CM K Chandrasekhar Rao has been expressing his unhappiness over present revenue administration, especially land administration issues, and vowed to revamp the revenue system. The government was also mulling either to merge the revenue department with panchayat raj department or transfer some powers to other departments.
The CM might unveil his ideas on revenue reforms and job chart of collectors and additional collectors during collectors’ conference on February 11. As of now, joint collectors take care of revenue, civil supplies and education etc, but joint collector post was being scrapped in district administration set-up.
“Since the government is focussing on transparency in land transactions, where registration and mutation of land should be done immediately, and also ensure corruption-free and hassle-free registration at revenue offices, special provisions are being made in the new revenue legislation. It is likely that the registration and stamps department will become part of revenue administration,” a senior bureaucrat said. He said the exercise on the new revenue law has already begun and might be placed in the Assembly in the upcoming budget session.
Presently, the revenue department was being handled by chief secretary Somesh Kumar. Since he has too much on his hand, the government might appoint a secretary to take care of commercial taxes, revenue and registration and stamps departments, the sources said.