Extortion racket over revenue records

BELLARY: The lid on the ``official extortion racket'''' in issuing landholding details to farmers in Bellary district was blown off on Saturday when Karnataka Additional Secretary (Revenue) Rajiv Chawla visited the taluk office here.
During an inspection by Chawla, it was noticed that the computer section, housed in the taluk office with the exclusive task of issuing phani (landholding details), was charging exorbitant charges for issuing phanis, harassing farmers and resorting to dilatory tactics.
Under normal circumstances, the phani should be provided after a fee of Rs 15 had been paid. All that the farmer is required to furnish are in whose name the lands have been registered and the survey number of the said field.
This information could be passed on to the revenue officer either on a chit or verbally. There is no requirement of application form as has been insisted upon by the revenue officials in Bellary district.
Chawla found to his horror that the officials in the Bellary computer section were insisting on application form, for which a court fee of Rs 2 had to be attested. The revenue secretary clarified that the application was not needed.
The revenue secretary said: ``All that the farmers should pay is a fee of Rs 15 to obtain one copy of the phani containing the details of landholding.'''' The he took to task the revenue officials for the procedure they have been adopting in handing over the phani copies to the farmers.
When repeatedly questioned how was the practice of systematically fleecing the farmers going unnoticed, both tahsildar and the assistant commissioner, who were present at the time of inspection, had no explanation that would convince the revenue secretary.
Chawla breathed fire and brimstone when he learnt that ``some of the educated people'''' were collecting Rs 10 from illiterate and poor farmers to write out one application form. A furious revenue secretary instructed the official to arrest those persons collecting Rs 10 from farmers as ``drafting charges''''.
Interestingly, rank outsiders, taking advantage of the fact that the department is steeped in ignorance over the subject and its failure to provide a computer print-out of the phani, have been fleecing the farmers. The computer section, which has been set up by the government to provide the computer copy of the original phani, is not maintained by the government employees.
The revenue department set up the centre by appointing a private agency for the purpose. There is, therefore, no need to take prerequisite application in writing. The computer section is akin to a shop from where the computer print-out of the original phani could be obtained by shelling out Rs 15 per each copy. A farmer can take any number of copies by paying Rs 15 per each copy.
But the chaos created by the untrained employees coupled with absolute ignorance over the procedures adopted in issuing the phani, has made the matters worse, and the sufferers were innocent farmers.
For the last one month, there has been a heavy rush at the centre, sometimes the farmers staying overnight near the office premises to collect the phanis. The phani is an important piece of official declaration about landholding to apply for crop loan from local banks.
On seeing a pile of applications at the centre, Chawla went on a fusillade at the officials.
He directed the assistant commissioner and tahsildar to install a board outside the office stating the computer copy of the phani will be available at Rs 15 per each copy without any application form. There is also no need to affix Rs 2 court fee stamp as the application itself is redundant.
The computer copies of the phani will be issued with each coy costing Rs 15. For this, the revenue secretary clarified, the farmers should provide the name of the farmer and the survey number with respect to the field the phani was required.
The revenue secretary suggested that computer must be placed in such a position that its screen should be visible from the window from where the farmers seek copies of the phani.
Later, Chawla visited the computer section related to the village accountants. The upkeep of the office room, computer section and the condition of computers left a lot to be desired.
Deputy Commissioner Jawaid Akhtar, Assistant Commissioner M. Ashok, Tahsildar Shivappa and other senior officers from the revenue department accompanied Chawla during his visit to the department office.
Chawla later reviewed the functioning of the revenue department.