Not cast in stone: Naidu govt mulls over removing Jagan images from boundary markers, passbooks

Naidu told the Assembly this week that the government would reissue the pattadar passbooks with only the official state seal. “The Jagan government wasted Rs 15 crore for printing his photos on the passbooks. The state government, as promised during the electioneering and as per the demand of the people, has decided to issue passbooks with the official seal. Officers have already submitted a copy of the passbook carrying the official seal,” said the CM.

However, the TDP government is at a loss over what to do with approximately 77 lakh boundary stones with Jagan’s photo carved on them that revenue officials had planted.

After the TDP stormed back to power, many farmers and landowners ripped out the stones, mostly because they disputed the land markings. The TDP’s Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad claimed over 80% of land and property owners were unhappy with the YSRCP surveys and had initiated litigation. “We will be holding ‘gram sabhas’ in over 7,000 villages to ascertain if the land had been marked properly or not, and in consultations with the villagers, will conduct a resurvey if necessary and mark the boundaries accordingly,” he added.

TDP ministers also alleged the Jagan government spent over Rs 600 crore to procure the boundary stones and carve the former CM’s image on them. “Though the Centre has never mentioned the issue of laying stones in the directions for the survey, Jagan prepared granite stones only for carving his pictures,” Satya Prasad said.

Officials said that the exercise to re-issue land title passbooks without Jagan’s photograph, and the removal of the boundary stones with Jagan’s carving might cost up to Rs 15 crore. “The lakhs of granite stones that will be removed will be used for other purposes,” an official said.

YSRCP spokesperson and former minister Ambati Rambabu accused the TDP and Naidu of levelling false allegations. “The land survey was done very scientifically and involved technology that ensured very precise marking of lands. The TDP had originally supported the YSRCP’s land survey but made a U-turn and opposed it. Even now, they are backtracking from their opposition by saying that they will conduct a re-survey, which means it will be a continuation of what the YSRCP government started,” he said.

In October 2020, after the NITI Aayog, the Centre’s policy think tank, recommended the implementation of the Land Titling Act in all states, Andhra Pradesh became one of the first states to conduct land surveys to implement it. As per the now-repealed Act, all land and immovable property must be compulsorily registered with government agencies that will then issue permanent titles for them. The Act also provided a new system for speedy property dispute resolution by establishing tribunals.

After the Act was rolled out, several property owners raised objections to the method of surveying lands using drones and geotagging, which resulted in discrepancies and disputes. During the election campaign, Naidu and ally JanaSena Party chief K Pawan Kalyan alleged that the YSRCP wanted to usurp land under the Act. In his public meetings, Naidu said the process of land surveys was full of discrepancies and that the people involved were not technically qualified to conduct such surveys.