'Bagair Hukum land should be regularised by December'

Kagodu tells officials to fix monthly targets and submit reports to DC

 All applications seeking regularisation of ‘bagair hukum’ cultivation land should be cleared by December-end, ordered Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa.

Chairing a review meeting here on Tuesday, he said that the officials should convene meetings once a week to clear the applications of ‘bagair hukum’ cultivators. “A target should be fixed for every month to clear the applications. The report on the progress should be submitted to the deputy commissioner every month,” he instructed.

When MLA D N Jeevraj said that tahsildars have been citing shortage of staff as reason for failure to clear applications, the minister took the tahsildars to task. He also ordered that, in case of an applicant’s death before the clearance, the land should be sanction to his or her successors.

MLA C T Ravi raised the issue of officials failing to issue permanent cultivation chits for those who possess temporary chits. In response, Kagodu Thimmappa directed tahsildars to issue the permanent cultivation chits immediately.

Further, the MLAs requested an opportunity to apply for regularisation of land to bagair hukum cultivators who could not do so. The minister said that he too had been contemplating on the issue and the decision could be taken after obtaining permission from the Cabinet.

When the legislators brought the problem of lack of supply of water in villages to the notice of  the minister, the latter said that water supply should be given priority.
“It is left to the authorities to decide whether to supply water through tankers or to sink borewells. The officials should ensure that the district do not face water crisis,” he
instructed.

MLA B B Ningaiah and MLC Motamma said that deficit rainfall in the Malnad region has affected paddy, ragi, arecanut, pepper and coffee crops in the district. The farmers should be compensated for the loss of crops, they added, to which, the minister directed the Agriculture department joint director Seetha and Horticulture department deputy director Poornima to conduct a survey and submit a detailed report through the deputy commissioner on the loss of agriculture and horticulture crops.

MLA Y S V Datta concurred that the district has not received an average rainfall during the season, and added, “There is a need to declare the district as drought-hit.”

Thimmappa pointed out that there were a few guidelines for declaring a district drought-hit. “Based on the report of the deputy commissioner and looking at the guidelines, the government will look into the possibility of declaring the district drought-hit,” he said.

The minister also took the officials concerned to task for failing to distribute title deeds to those who had constructed houses on government land for the last three years.

District In-charge Secretary Kunjappa, Zilla Panchayat President B S Chaitrashri Malathesh, Vice President S N Ramaswamy, Deputy Commissioner G Sathyavathi and others were present.