Agri & revenue dept propose joint land survey in Nalgonda

Nalgonda: Joint Survey by Agriculture and Revenue Department is on the cards of district administration to get accurate figure on agricultural land as there was 29 per cent variations between Farmers Comprehensive Survey and Land Record Purification Programme in Nalgonda district.

The variation in two surveys on agricultural land has necessitated the joint survey of Revenue and Agriculture Department to solve the problem. It was identified in the Land Records Purification Programme, which was carried out by Revenue Department officials, that there was 11,11, 821 acres of agricultural land in the district, but it was 7,87,580 acres in Farmers Comprehensive Survey conducted by Agriculture Department.

Moreover, the number of khatas were 4,93,830 in the survey of Revenue Department, but the figure was 2,96,895 khatas in Agriculture Department survey, which was 39 per cent variation.

As per final report of Land Records Update Programme, the land records verification was completed in 563 gram panchayats of 566 gram panchayats in the district. The process of updating the records online was under progress.

Keeping in view the variation between the results of surveys of Revenue Department and Agriculture Department, officials of Agriculture Department have proposed to the district authorities that a combined survey by Agriculture and Revenue Department should be conducted to get accurate figures on agricultural land in the district.

As the government would extend financial investment of Rs 4,000 per acre to farmers from May 1 based on these two surveys. If the government authorities failed to correct the figures, the implementations of farmers investment support scheme in the district would become more complex at the cost of cultivators.

An senior officer of Agriculture Department, on the condition of anonymity, told ‘Telangana Today’ that proposals had already been sent to district authorities for joint survey to address the variations.

But, the Agriculture Department received a reply saying that Revenue Department staff was still busy on the task of updating the land records online and it was not possible to allocate Revenue Department staff for the purpose immediately and asked for one month time.

He said officials of Agriculture Department could identify whether the land was agriculture land or not, they would had little knowledge on survey numbers, khatas and others.