Telangana will not take an inch of Dalit, tribal land: Minister Ponguleti
Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy assures Dalit and tribal families that Telangana will not take their land, calling surveys and record checks ownership-protection measures.
Telangana Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy has assured Dalit and tribal families that the state government will not take "even an inch" of their land, urging them to disregard what he described as a misinformation campaign designed to create fear among them.
In a statement, the Minister said safeguarding the land rights of Dalits and tribals was the policy of the Congress government. Beneficiaries, he said, had no reason to fear that land surveys or scrutiny of records would result in their holdings being taken away.
Mr. Srinivas Reddy pointed to the Congress party's record on land reform, noting that about 25 lakh acres were distributed to Dalits in the Telangana region during the Indira Gandhi government, and that rights over nearly two lakh acres of podu land were conferred on tribals.
He explained that exercises such as verification of land records, surveys and re-surveys were intended to establish ownership rights, settle disputes and protect land rights, and should not be mistaken for measures to dispossess people.
The government, he said, had resolved longstanding land issues in 15 revenue villages across Nuthankal and Maddirala mandals in Suryapet district, as well as at Narayanapur in Kesamudram mandal of Mahabubabad district.
Alleging that some people were deliberately spreading misinformation and trying to provoke Dalits for political gain, the Minister reiterated his assurance on behalf of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, saying there was no need for fear or panic over such campaigns.