Hyderabad: As the Bhoodan land movement completed 74 years and entered its 75th year recently, Bhoodan lands in Telangana remain entangled in a host of unresolved and persistent issues. These include mismatches in land records, missing survey numbers, unclear physical possession, and widespread encroachments.
Recognising the scale and complexity of the issue, Telangana Bhoodan Board officials have decided to initiate a reconciliation process to align Bhoodan land records with revenue department data across districts. The problem is particularly severe in areas surrounding Hyderabad, where large tracts of prime Bhoodan land are located.
Sources in the govt said reports are being compiled on Bhoodan lands from various districts and cross-checked with the records maintained by the chief commissioner of land administration.
According to official data, Telangana has approximately 1.6 lakh acres of Bhoodan land. The largest portions are in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district (41,700 acres), followed by Khammam (30,700 acres), Nalgonda (28,000 acres), Ranga Reddy (21,000 acres), and Warangal (20,000 acres).
Rangareddy district, particularly the mandals of Maheshwaram, Ibrahimpatnam, and Hayathnagar, is a hotspot of Bhoodan-related issues due to the high commercial value of the land. Officials say that several unauthorised transactions have already taken place on these lands.
A former district collector explained, “The core problem is the absence of a final gazette notification for many Bhoodan lands. There should be both initial and final notifications specifying the exact extent and survey numbers, but in many cases, these details were never properly recorded by donors.”
Another complication stems from inconsistencies in land classification, especially before and after the launch of the Dharani land records portal. “For several years, land records would list a parcel as ‘patta’ land and in other years, the same land would be classified as ‘Bhoodan.’ This created confusion and led unsuspecting buyers to purchase such lands believing them to be private holdings,” sources said.
Revenue department sources revealed that many Bhoodan lands lack proper documentation. While CCLA maintains centralised records, Bhoodan officials argue that district collectorates are responsible for local record maintenance and dispute resolution.
Encroachments remain another major concern. Though tahsildars are empowered to remove illegal occupations on Bhoodan land, enforcement has been lax. In Kuntloor, for instance, despite govt claims over large tracts of Bhoodan land, nearly 2,000 huts sprang up last year. Sources said revenue officials reportedly failed to act, citing political pressure.
