Patta land dispute in Kurnool Urban Mandal: Farmer accuses revenue officials of misleading collector
Kurnool, February 12,.2026 : Serious allegations of land irregularities and official misconduct have emerged in Kurnool Urban Mandal, with a farmer accusing revenue authorities of attempting to portray his legally owned patta land as government property to facilitate disputed registrations. The controversy relates to land in Survey No. 68/2A1V of Joharapuram village. The complainant, Poladas Mahendra, son of Poladas Peddaswamy, stated that his family had legally purchased three acres out of a total extent of 4.36 acres in 2004 through a registered sale deed from Krishnamurthy, who had been in possession of the land for nearly 30 to 40 years. The family claims continuous cultivation since the purchase.
Mahendra asserted that the land is backed by valid revenue records, including patta passbooks, adangal and pahani entries, reflecting cultivation history for over five decades. He alleged that cultivation details were later omitted from adangal records and the land was shown as government property without issuing notice to the landholder. The family further claimed that efforts to update the land records online were stalled due to alleged demands for bribes. After approaching the court, orders were reportedly issued directing the revenue department to process the online mutation, but officials allegedly failed to comply, prompting contempt proceedings.
The farmer further alleged that a former Village Revenue Officer (VRO), Krishnadevarayalu, had obtained his father’s signatures under the pretext of resolving the issue and subsequently used those documents to claim compliance before higher authorities. Meanwhile, private individuals allegedly began laying out plots and executing registrations on the disputed land. A warning board declaring the property as “Government Land – Kunta Poramboke” was reportedly erected by the present VRO, Boya Kazanna. However, Mahendra maintained that Survey No. 68/2A1V does not figure in the official list of lands allotted for Indiramma housing sites, as per an MRO office report shown to him.
Adding to the complexity, the Tahsildar of Kurnool Rural had issued a certificate in 2016 stating that the land was classified as “AW” (Assessed Waste) and not Kunta Poramboke. Tensions escalated in 2024 when private persons allegedly entered the land with earthmovers and attempted to alter field boundaries, leading to clashes. Police registered a case between the parties and invoked Section 145 of CrPC to prevent breach of peace. The police also sought a survey report from revenue authorities, but the farmer alleged that no report has been furnished even after a year, and that surveys were conducted without proper notice while copies of reports were withheld.
Following a complaint lodged at the grievance redressal forum, District Collector Dr A. Siri sought a detailed report from the Kurnool Urban Tahsildar. In his compliance report, Urban Tahsildar Ravinkumar reportedly described the land as Kunta Poramboke. Mahendra has alleged that the Urban Tahsildar misled the Collector by providing false information, classifying the land as Kunta Poramboke instead of Assessed Waste (AW) land as certified earlier by the Rural Tahsildar. When contacted by The Hans India, Ravinkumar maintained that the land is Kunta Poramboke, stating that a portion is pond area while the remaining extent is under cultivation and in the possession of Poladas Peddaswamy.
He further remarked that the Rural Tahsildar might not have had complete knowledge of the land status while issuing the earlier certificate. Meanwhile, the farmer has urged the Collector to order a comprehensive inquiry and take appropriate action against officials allegedly responsible for injustice to his family.
