Won’t budge an inch to strike at big land sharks: Ponguleti

Hyderabad: Asking the Revenue officials to perform duty with humanity, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy on Sunday warned of serious action against officers if they registered lands of the poor in the favour of big land sharks.

Reddy made the comment during an interactive session with the stamps and registration department officials at MCR-HRD Institute. He asked the employees to work with honesty and dedication to achieve the goal envisaged in ‘Indiramma Rajyam’.

“I will not spare anyone if officials commit mistakes. Bring a good name to the Revenue Department and perform duty with humanity. I don’t hold a grudge against anyone. The government lands should be saved from encroachments and distributed to the poor. If the government lands are registered in the name of big land sharks, none will be spared,” he cautioned.

The minister wanted officials to provide quality service in a transparent manner to people who come for registration without giving scope for any complaints. He assured the employees that the necessary budgetary requirements for rents, electricity charges, and hire vehicle charges would be cleared soon.

Stating that there was no need for recommendations on transfers and promotions, Reddy told the employees that he would take care of them by undertaking regular reviews.

Referring to the need for permanent government buildings for the registration department, he said, "A three-pronged strategy was being worked out under which all registration offices would start functioning in government buildings in a couple of years."

Reddy directed officials to study the best practices in the registration departments of other States for adoption in Telangana. He stressed the need to adopt new technologies that would enable seamless service to the public.

Secretary to the Government and Commissioner of Stamps and Registrations Jyothi Buddha Prakash gave a brief overview of the department's functioning. He said the registration department’s revenue, which was Rs 2,746 crore in 2014, rose to Rs 14,588 crore last year. He noted that the long pending transfer of employees was completed smoothly.

The minister also released the annual report of the department. Senior officials presented their views on revenue mobilisation, functioning, owning buildings, and budget requirements. Additional IG Venkat Rajesh, DIGs, registrars, sub-registrars, and staff attended.