BRS govt. tried to portray revenue staff as corrupt to cover its misdeeds: CM

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy criticised the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government for its “attempts to portray Revenue Department staff as corrupt to cover up its misdeeds”.

“BRS government scrapped the system of Village Revenue Officers and Village Revenue Assistants by branding them as corrupt, and is also responsible for the flaws in the Dharani portal,” he said.

The CM was speaking at a meeting organised on Friday, in connection with giving appointment letters to the newly-appointed Gram Panchayat officers (GPOs), to streamline the revenue administration at the grass root level.

He said that the BRS government did not give a sympathetic consideration to the problems in the TGSRTC, in spite of suicides by staff. “Influential people in the previous government tried to snatch away land from the poor in the name of Dharani portal and projected the Revenue staff, who obstructed their designs, as culprits.”

“Will the government scrap the entire system if a few are found guilty of wrong doings?” he asked. He recalled how an officer was set on fire in Ibrahimpatnam by a farmer, vexed with the problems created by Dharani. There were even instances of women throwing their mangalsutra at officers in Sircilla.

The Congress Government assured scrapping of the Dharani portal as and when it came to power and did so immediately after taking over the reins. It had brought about Bhu Bharati Act as a solution to the problems faced by people.

Government had appointed the GPOs to stand as bridge between the Government and the poor envisaging that they would resolve the pending issues. “Do we burn the house because there are rats? Should the government scrap the entire system because of mistakes committed by a few?” he questioned.

In this context, he pointed out the lapses in the Kaleshwaram project, whose piers sunk within three years of construction after spending ₹1 lakh crore. “What should we do with them (BRS leaders)?” he asked.

The CM exhorted the GPOs to diligently discharge their duties to ensure that the government did not get a bad name. They should effectively implement the Bhu Bharati Act besides resolving the problems pertaining to Sada Bainamas (plain paper land transactions). “It is an issue of your self respect as the previous rulers tried to project you (revenue staff) as culprits for the mistakes. Time has come for you to come out clean,” he said asking them to explain to the people the lopsided policies of the previous government.

Mr. Reddy reminded that the struggles witnessed in the history of Telangana were because of land related issues. Freedom fighters Kumram Bheem, Chakali Ilamma, and Ravi Narayan Reddy, championed the cause of the landless. The Bhoodan movement had its roots in Telangana and former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao brought in the agriculture Land Ceiling Act for distribution of land to the poor.