‘TG Cong govt resolves 4.68 lakh Dharani cases in a year’

NAVEENA GHANATE
The Telangana Government will announce the new name of the Dharani Portal in the Assembly. During the Assembly election campaign, the Congress had said it would replace Dharani with Bhumatha and Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said the name would be announced during the Winter Session starting December 9. Until then it is being referred to as “Dharani web.”
During a chitchat with the media, Ponguleti highlighted several critical issues regarding revenue reforms, land management and welfare schemes last year.
Ponguleti pointed out that when the government was formed, the Dharani Portal had over 2.45 lakh pending applications, some dating back one to two years. Despite the portal being touted as a revolutionary initiative, the backlog was massive, and approximately three lakh new applications were filed later.
With 58,000 to 60,000 applications still pending in the last 30-45 days, out of the 5.62 lakh applications, 4.68 lakh have been successfully addressed, a feat achieved through systemic reforms and operational efficiency.
The government constituted a committee to assess Dharani’s functionality and provided recommendations for its revival.
“We ensured all applications were resolved, and for future applications, decentralisation of powers was introduced on the Dharani web,” he said.
Powers earlier concentrated with Collectors were delegated to Mandal Revenue Officers (MRPs), Rural Development Officers (RDPs), special collectors, and the Revenue CCLA.
This decentralisation included ownership transfer cases (TM-3 mutation) to be handled by Additional Collectors, and cases involving disputed lands in courts (TM-24).
A new Record of Rights (RoR) draft was introduced in the last Assembly session after a review of the defective 2020 RoR Act. Feedback from farmers, revenue officials, public representatives and retired officers was incorporated, simplifying the revenue processes.
“Once approved, this Act will redefine land  records and have 12-14 columns, making Dharani more user-friendly,” he added.
The government embarked on drafting a new revenue law to provide a permanent solution to land-related issues. The draft law underwent extensive public consultations, receiving feedback from farmers, legal experts, and public representatives. The draft Revenue Law (ROR 2024) will be presented in the Assembly session, promising a transparent and inclusive approach to land governance.
Highlighting the gaps in grassroots governance, Ponguleti said the cancellation of the VRO-VRA system by the BRS administration left rural areas without proper oversight.
The government plans to appoint revenue officers to all 10,956 revenue villages by Sankranti to address this.  
The state is also planning to bolster its surveyor workforce. While thousands of surveyor posts exist, only 232 were functional due to alleged mismanagement by the regime. “The government will select and train surveyors, ensuring every village is covered,” he assured.
The Indiramma Indlu scheme was revived, enabling beneficiaries to actively participate in building houses. “Four lakh houses that were only sanctioned on paper are being reviewed, and the scheme now integrates with ongoing welfare initiatives,” Ponguleti said.
For ration cards, the government is piloting a project in December to collect ground-level data. “We’ve created a 360-degree data app to identify those asking for houses and lands at the village level,” he shared.
The initiative aims to ensure that the poorest of the poor, including widows and persons with disabilities, are prioritized without political quotas.