Over 120 Erravalli Dalit farmers receive revenue department notices

The Telangana revenue department has served notices to over 120 Dalit farmers in Erravalli following a land survey after Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced plans to take back the lands. Farmers have sought protection of their holdings and livelihood

Siddipet: After Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced in the State Assembly that he would take back the lands in Erravalli and distribute them to other farmers, the revenue department served notices on over 120 Dalit farmers of Erravalli, leaving them in a state of shock.

After carrying out surveys of lands in Survey No. 325 for three consecutive days until Saturday, the revenue department served notices on 120 farmers. The revenue department asked them to appear before the authorities with all the documents in their possession regarding the ownership of their lands.

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Sources in the revenue department said notices would be served on all farmers holding lands in the survey number. The 388 acres and 5 guntas of land were distributed to Dalit farmers in Erravalli and neighbouring villages some 60 years ago. Since then, the farmers had been in possession of the land.

However, former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had changed their lives considerably by helping them cultivate the fallow lands after 2014. He built a lake close to the lands and helped the farmers get a drip irrigation system and other facilities.

Gajwel RDO Chandrakala directed the farmers to appear before the authorities on September 21. The farmers demanded that the government keep their lands intact, as they were their only source of livelihood.

Meanwhile, farmers of Sivaru Venkatapur, a neighbouring village to Erravalli, alleged that some 180 acres of land in the survey number belonged to them. They demanded that the government earmark the lands properly, following the old revenue records.