Indiramma housing petitions dominate Praja Darbar progs

Khammam: Expressing confidence ahead of future local body and by-elections, Revenue, Housing, and Information & Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said the response from the public for ‘Praja Darbar’ programme indicated support for the Congress government and its welfare-oriented policies.

Addressing a press conference in Palair Assembly constituency on Tuesday along with Khammam MP Raghuram Reddy, the minister informed that the Palair constituency was divided into 14 clusters, where Praja Darbar programmes were conducted over the past month under the slogan ‘Government at People’s Doorstep.’

According to the minister, he interacted with nearly 25,000 people and received more than 24,000 petitions from urban and rural areas. Of these, around 11,000 applications were related to Indiramma housing, while over 5,200 petitions sought benefits under the Aasara pension scheme.

He said residents also submitted representations regarding Gruha Jyothi benefits, internal roads, drainage facilities, drinking water supply and other local civic issues.

The minister further stated that around 1,500 applications seeking house sites had been received and that officials had been directed to identify suitable government land as well as land acquired during the tenure of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy for distribution to eligible beneficiaries.

Sadabainama land transactions

Ponguleti alleged that the previous BRS government had failed to address issues relating to Sadabainama land transactions despite providing an opportunity for uploading applications before introducing the Dharani portal system.

He said the state Cabinet, under the leadership of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, had amended rules to resolve the issue of more than 9.26 lakh pending Sadabainama applications across the state.

Reddy stated that the government had already identified around 5.5 lakh applications and issued notices, while the remaining cases would be taken up within the next 15 days. Eligible cases would be resolved following the mandatory notice period, he added.

The minister said the government has launched a modern digital land survey programme by selecting 70 revenue villages in each district during the first phase to address long-pending land ownership issues.

He noted that the survey had been successfully completed in Kakaravai village of Tirumalayapalem mandal in Palair constituency. “The exercise aims to issue title deeds to actual cultivators while addressing land ownership disputes,” he said.

“Of the 4,300 land-related petitions received during the Praja Darbar programme, nearly 2,300 cases are expected to be resolved through a special drive,” he added.

Reddy said special teams of officials had been constituted to examine and resolve applications received during the public grievance programme. “While revenue-related matters may take around 45 days to resolve, eligible beneficiaries under the Indiramma housing scheme would receive assistance in phases,” he said.

He added that the government has undertaken a 99-day special action plan as part of its “Praja Palana – Pragathi Pranalika” initiative marking the completion of two years in office and entry into the third year of governance. The programme is scheduled to conclude on July 12.

The Minsiter said the State government has been working with public welfare as its primary objective since assuming office and is committed to resolving people’s grievances through direct engagement.

Rejecting allegations made by opposition parties, Reddy said certain political leaders were attempting to malign the government for political gain. However, he asserted that the government remained open to constructive criticism and would address genuine public concerns irrespective of political affiliations.

He said people from all sections of society and supporters of various political parties had participated in the Praja Darbar programmes, demonstrating confidence in the government’s ability to address their issues.