Dalits’ Land Will Not Be Taken, Assures Telangana Minister Ponguleti

Telangana Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy has assured Dalits and tribal communities that the state government has no intention of taking away their land and urged them not to believe rumours claiming otherwise.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Ponguleti said the government would protect the land rights of Dalits and tribals and that there was no need for anyone to panic over land-related issues.

The minister said the government, under Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, was committed to social justice, welfare and the upliftment of weaker sections. He recalled that Congress governments had historically undertaken land reforms and distribution programmes aimed at providing land rights to landless communities.

According to Ponguleti, around 25 lakh acres were distributed to Dalits in the Telangana region during the Indira Gandhi government, while nearly 2 lakh acres of podu land rights were recognised for tribal communities under Congress governments. He said the government’s policy was to provide land to the landless and secure rights for those who had been deprived of them.

The minister also criticised former Chief Minister and BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, alleging that his earlier promise to provide three acres of land to every Dalit family was not fulfilled after his party came to power.

Ponguleti said land surveys, re-surveys and verification of revenue records were being undertaken to establish ownership and resolve disputes, and not to take possession of people’s land. The objective, he said, was to ensure that land records accurately reflected existing rights and that legitimate owners received protection under the law.

He accused some political groups of deliberately spreading fear among Dalits for their own interests and appealed to people to verify facts before believing such claims. The government, he said, would ensure that all land-related processes were carried out in a legal and transparent manner.

Ponguleti further said the government was using re-surveys to address long-pending land issues affecting Dalits and tribals. He cited the resolution of land-related problems in 15 revenue villages in Nuthankal and Maddirala mandals of Suryapet district, as well as Narayanapur in Kesamudram mandal of Mahabubabad district.

Securing land titles, he said, would also help beneficiaries access government schemes and other benefits linked to land ownership. The government’s broader objective was to strengthen the land rights of Dalits and tribals and ensure that they received the benefits due to them, he added.