The N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP alliance, having returned to power after the Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, has taken immediate action on one of their campaign promises. On July 24th, they repealed the Land Titling Act, as reported by The Indian Express on August 3rd. Now, the new state government is considering removing former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s photographs from both the land boundary marker stones and the land ownership passbooks issued under the Land Titling Act during the previous tenure.
Speaking in the Assembly, Chief Minister Naidu stated that his government will be reissuing the pattadar passbooks with only the official state seal. He highlighted the perceived waste of ₹15 crore spent by the previous government on printing Reddy’s photos on the passbooks. He assured the public that the new passbooks with the official seal are already being prepared and will be issued in accordance with their electoral promises.
However, the TDP government faces a significant challenge with the approximately 77 lakh boundary stones bearing Jagan’s photo. These stones were planted by revenue officials during the previous government’s land survey program. The report mentions that following the TDP’s return to power, several farmers and landowners have removed these stones due to dissatisfaction with the YSRCP surveys and ongoing legal disputes.
TDP’s Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad revealed that over 80 percent of land and property owners were unhappy with the YSRCP surveys and had initiated legal action. He announced plans to conduct ‘gram sabhas’ in over 7,000 villages to verify the accuracy of the land markings and to conduct resurveys if necessary. These resurveys will be conducted in consultation with the villagers to ensure accurate boundary demarcation.
The TDP minister further alleged that the previous Jagan government spent over ₹600 crore on procuring the boundary stones and engraving the former CM’s image on them. He criticized the previous government’s decision to use granite stones solely for the purpose of showcasing the former CM’s picture, emphasizing that the central government’s directives for the land survey never mentioned the requirement of laying stones.
