Landmark resolution in a three-village dispute
A land dispute in Andhra Pradesh's Prathipadu Assembly constituency, which persisted for 120 years, was permanently resolved on Tuesday with the distribution of title deeds to 812 families in Vatticherukuru, Pullatagunta, and Etukuru villages. The resolution covered 41.46 acres, according to officials present at the ceremony.
At the title distribution programme held at Vatticherukuru, Union Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar said the initiative marked the first such permanent resolution of a long-pending land dispute in the State. The lands in the three villages had been classified as tank land, government poramboke land recorded as a grove (Thopu), and endowment land, respectively, according to the classification cited during the event.
The beneficiaries comprised 515 families in Vatticherukuru, 206 in Pullatagunta, and 91 in Etukuru, as reported by the Hindu. The dispute itself involved 41.46 acres, as detailed by The New Indian Express, which noted the land had been misclassified under Section 22(A) as tank bed, government poramboke, and endowment properties.
The resolution was carried out under the Mee Bhoomi - Mee Hakku initiative, a programme aimed at addressing land ownership issues. Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad, who distributed the deeds, described the initiative as a benchmark for solving land disputes across about 300 villages across the state, as reported by The New Indian Express and The Hindu.
At the ceremony, Mr. Satya Prasad said QR-coded pattadar passbooks were being issued after verification of re-survey data, adding that solutions had been found to longstanding land issues in about 300 villages.
State-wide digitalization and relief plans
Union Minister Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar stated that land records were being re-surveyed and digitised across the State, and that 1.60 lakh acres would be freed from restrictions under Section 22(A) of the Registration Act. He further announced that 67 lakh digitalised land passbooks would be distributed between July 2026 and July 2027, according to The New Indian Express.
Minister Anagani Satya Prasad highlighted the Vatticherukuru resolution as a benchmark for solving disputes in other villages, and noted the digitisation of records would aid in their resolution.
Officials praise the initiative
Rajya Sabha member Bhashyam Ramakrishna, Prathipadu MLA B. Ramanjaneyulu, and Guntur District Collector M. Sai Kanth Varma also addressed the gathering. The district collector said the initiative would benefit between 3,000 and 4,000 people.
In addition to the title deeds, officials distributed pensions to beneficiaries at Vatticherukuru in Guntur district, according to The Hindu.