A fresh start for land records: What to expect?
In April 2025, the Telangana government, under the leadership of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, introduced the Bhu Bharati Act and portal as a major overhaul of the State’s land administration system. It promises greater transparency, faster services, and stronger protection of land rights.
Bhu Bharati, which was brought in as a replacement for the earlier Dharani portal, introduced during the previous BRS government, aims to simplify and decentralise land-related services such as registrations, mutations, appeals, ROR corrections, land conversion, and access to crucial information, including encumbrance details, prohibited lands, market value, and registered documents. The Congress government has framed the initiative as a people-centric reform aimed at reducing disputes and improving accountability in land governance.
Services & information available on portal
- Services to be offered include –
- Registrations
- Mutations
- Appeals and revisions
- ROR corrections
- Conversion to non-agricultural land, and more
- Information to be provided on –
- E-challan
- Encumbrance details
- Prohibited lands
- Land rights
- Land market value
- Registered document details
Robust grievance redressal mechanism
Bhu Bharati introduces a comprehensive grievance redressal system where people of Telangana can file complaints and track their status through a dedicated mobile app, ensuring transparency and accountability in resolving land-related disputes.
The Bill also proposes the creation of revenue tribunals to address land-related grievances and disputes. An appellate authority will handle appeals and resolve errors related to extent of land and mutations. There will be a mechanism for appeals against improper registrations or mutations. The “enjoyment survey” is introduced to prevent future disputes.
Decentralisation of services
The portal aims to decentralise land-related services, empowering Mandal Revenue Officers (MROs) and district-level officers to address grievances and process applications locally. The two-level appeal, to be made possible at the district level, ensures land disputes and boundary disputes can be solved at the district level itself. This level of localisation helps in reducing bureaucratic delays and enhancing quick service delivery.
The government also stated that the land will be (re)surveyed to avoid ambiguities and future disputes, boundaries will be measured clearly and properly,registration will be done with the help of maps, and the boundary disputes will be solved with immediate mutation based on the findings of the survey.
The government will also providefree legal aid to farmerswho cannot afford lawyers or appeal at a civil court to solve their land-related issues.
How does the ‘Appeal process’ work for land disputes?
There will be multiple layers to “appeal” –
- The aggrieved party can approach the Tahsildar
- In case one is unhappy with the Tahsildar’s decisions, RDO can be approached
- RDO’s decisions can be appealed to the District Collector
- Collector’s decisions can be contested at the CCLA
- CCLA’s decisions can be brought to the Revenue Minister’s notice
In a significant step to reform land records management, the Telangana Congress government, under the leadership of Honourable Chief Minister Shri A. Revanth Reddy, has launched the Bhu Bharati portal. With the implementation of the Bhu Bharati Act, the government promises greater transparency, efficiency, and protection of land rights.
The Bhu Bharati portal is intended to replace Dharani, which was implemented under the former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR)’s BRS regime. The Congress government also stated that it would investigate irregularities under the previous system.
A game-changer in land administration
Although Bhu Bharati is lauded for its potential to rectify issues under the previous Dharani system, concerns exist regarding the mandatory resurvey process and the integration of former revenue officials. Therefore, addressing these ambiguities related to the resurvey process and ensuring a smooth transition for citizens and government officials will help in the successful implementation of the initiative.
The Congress government is banking on Bhu Bharati to be “a game-changer in land administration and a key factor in their future political success”. And, it is leaving no stone unturned to publicise the initiative as it can be a “major milestone to help woo voters from rural and farming communities”.
While the Revenue Minister termed the Bhu Bharati Act a “referendum for the government in the next Assembly election”, the Chief Minister shared that the government intends to conduct a “forensic audit” into irregularities under the previous Dharani system to ensure accountability.
