RecommendationsRecommendations
Recommendations
7.1. Lands of each temple shall be comprehensively mapped by launching a special drive. An inventory of all these lands shall be prepared by conducting a joint survey by Revenue and Endowment functionaries. The Encroachments should be immediately removed. A Half-Yearly periodical institution wise shall be prescribed to check the position of lands. Business plans to be made to get optimum returns from the lands that remain with the temples.
The information regarding Endowment Lands is not properly maintained and accurate figures of each Institution are not projected not even near approximation and every time different set of figures are forthcoming. This needs to be remedied. However, the record of Endowment Lands available as of now with Endowments Department should be consolidated – District wise, Village wise and Institution wise and computerized immediately. In order to know the exact position of the lands in respect of each Institution, it is considered necessary and expedient to have a inventory of all these lands by conducting a joint survey with the assistance of the Revenue officials of the area under the supervision of the Joint Collector of the District by launching a special drive with a schedule of not more than a month. The Joint Survey Team should be constituted with Deputy Tahsildar, Inspector of Endowments and Surveyor.
A Special Cell with the officials of Revenue Department, Endowments Department and Survey Department should be set up under the direct supervision of the Joint Collector in the Collector’s Office for watching the progress of joint survey work in the district and issuing instructions from time to time till the completion of the task entrusted to the teams.
During the Joint Survey, the team shall record the actual position on ground with the crop-wise details and in case of fallow, the duration of the fallow land and also the survey numbers, which are converted into non- agriculture along with the position on the ground in respect of such non- agricultural land.
Each survey number, status of the land and the person in authorized or unauthorized occupation and the period of such occupation and other relevant data should also be recorded. For this purpose, a common Proforma should be coined by Endowment Department in consultation with the Revenue Officers.
The above information should be prepared with reference to the statutory original Village Revenue Records like Inam Fair Register, Settlement Register and Adangal in Andhra area and the register maintained in Form-7 under Awakaf Rules, Wasool-Baqui, Setwar and Khasra-Pahani of 1954-55 in respect of Telangana area as per the suggestion made in the Status Report. There are large number of cases of encroachment of the Endowment Lands and buildings. The Deputy Commissioner of the area concerned, who is empowered to remove such encroachments, is not effectively acting for removal of such encroachments. Therefore, it is suggested that the District Collector may review once in two months and issue suitable instructions for removal of the encroachments.
For monitoring administration of Endowment Lands efficiently and effectively, an half-yearly periodical reflecting the status of lands Institution wise should be prescribed to watch and review the position and proper check of the lands owned by the Institutions and a copy of it to be marked to the District Collector.
Business plans to be made for lands belonging to each temple so as to ensure optimal returns. Thousands of acres lie fallow on account of not being cultivated with no incomes to the temples either because of lack of technical know how or merely the will. Hundreds of acres of rich fertile lands lie fallow on account of being in court litigation. Worse still, those lands on lease give meagre returns.
The present lacunae can be overcome, by assessing objectively the value of land and lease rents that can be got and also, making the leases transparent by placing them on web site.
7.2. The List of leases of agricultural lands of each Institution under the management of Endowments Department shall be prepared. The period of lease of six years continuously may be reduced to 3 years in order to benefit a good number of landless poor. The Lease process has to be transparent and lands can be leased to the poor via Government agencies by holding a public auction or by a prior agreement.
The list should contain the name of the lessee, amount or kind being paid by him, whether the said survey number is cultivated personally or given on sub-lease. It should also include unauthorized occupation of the landless poor. Such list should be finalized by the Endowments Department and furnished to the Joint Collector of the District.
According to the proviso 2 of Section 82 of the Act 30 of 1987, the period of lease of not less than six years continuously may be reduced to 3 years in order to benefit a good number of landless poor.
In a recently conducted survey of the Agricultural Workers Union in Andhra Pradesh, lease as a mode of doing agriculture is on the increase. Again lands can be leased to the poor via Government agencies like SC Corporation and Indira Kranthi Patham by holding a public auction or by a prior agreement 7.3. If the endowment lands are under illegal occupation of the non- poor then they have to be physically dispossessed of the lands. If the lands are under occupation of the poor these lands can be sold to the Government for a sum of money. The determination of landless poor shall be done by the RDO in stead of Asst. Commissioner, Endowments.
The Endowment Act provides for eviction without notice. The non-poor in illegal occupation of the lands have to be evicted. If the lands are under occupation of the poor, the Government has an ongoing Land Purchase scheme wherein it is always looking for land to buy for the poor.
In order to achieve the object of the Act to help the landless poor, the determination of the cultivating tenant as a landless poor person is to be entrusted to the Revenue Divisional Officer of the area in place of the Asst. Commissioner of Endowment as per Rule 3 of AP Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Lease of Agricultural Lands Rules, 2003. The above rule 3 has to be amended to that effect.
7.4. The functionaries of the Endowments Department shall be thoroughly trained on the Land related matters to improve their functional efficiency leading to better administration of endowment lands.
It is quite necessary to sensitise the officers and staff of Endowment Department on the important provisions of land related laws and relevant Village Records for improving the functional efficiency of the officers and staff in implementing the provisions of the AP Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act, 1987 relating to Endowment Lands with particular reference to landless poor.
Details of Endowment Lands in Andhra Pradesh Sl.
No. Name of District
Position obtained in the year 1984-85 Present Position as on May, 2005 1 2 3 4= Srikakulam 11,830.90 10,560.24 Vizianagaram 15,234.79 Vishakapatnam 8,278.72 19,683.83 East Godavari 17,278.68 16,950.19 West Godavari 9,512.66 11,950.19 Krishna 14,678.32 25,622.52 Guntur 40,199.44 ½ 24,030.33 Prakasham 31,366.68 32,239.66 Nellore 21,260.09 1,987.11 Kurnool 26,554.90 57,088.66 Kadapa 10,386.59 10,670.23 Ananthapur 28,820.88 33,427.40 Chittoor 16,115.22 12,155.61 Hyderabad Division IV Khammam 11,270.14 13,535.31 Warangal 3,380.38 4,291.33 Nalgonda 5,580.55 13,245.19 Nizamabad 18,530.39 29,130.22 Karimnagar } 2,065.23 } Adilabad } 589 3,074.11 } Mahabubnagar 30,384.37 24,130.22 Medak -- 3,791.11 Ranga Reddy 5,073.79 7,863.15 Hyderabad (Twin cities) 48.52 + 1000 Sq. Yards 3,000.19 + 1000 Sq. Yards * Source: Department Of Endowments, Commissioner and Endowment Office.
Note the extent variations as reported by Department itself. ***
“.... Today you can murder land for private profit. You can leave the corpse for all to see and nobody calls the cops”.