Vizag tahsildar told to pay woman Rs. 11K for failure to rectify land records

Visakhapatnam: The consumer disputes redressal commission-I in Visakhapatnam has directed the tahsildar (mandal revenue officer) of Golugonda mandal to pay Rs. 11,000 as compensation and Rs. 2,000 as legal expenses to a woman for deficiency in service. The officials failed to make rectifications in records of rights and did not fix the boundaries of the agriculture lands for which the woman had paid a fee.

The petitioner, Seeramreddy Arjunamma, a housewife and resident of T Cheedikada village under Golugonda mandal in the undivided Visakhapatnam district, said she had submitted an application to the revenue department through a Mee-Seva centre for rectification of entries in the records of rights and to fix the boundaries of her agricultural land—one acre located at T-Cheedikada village—due to a dispute with neighbouring land owners.

She paid the requisite charges of Rs. 145 on 13 June 2020 and paid Rs. 145 again on 18 July 2020. She also uploaded all relevant documents on Mee-Seva as per the citizen charter, including her photograph, for mutation.

The revenue authorities failed to give a reply. The complainant further said she was waiting for a response from the revenue authorities but it was in vain and caused her mental agony.

Though she had sent a legal notice to the revenue authorities through her counsel, the document was not rectified. She also said that she lost the opportunity to claim benefits under the Rythu Bharosa scheme—Rs. 13,500 for three years—due to non-allotment of e-passbook.

A member of the commission, Rahimunnisa Begum, said deficiency of service is observed in the case as the tahsildar failed to rectify the required land records as per the complainant's request.

The revenue officer not only failed to fulfil his obligation but did not respond to the legal notice and failed to appear before the commission in spite of the opportunity extended to contest the matter. Once a specified amount is charged to render a service and if the official concerned fails to provide that service, then it amounts to deficiency of service under the Consumer Protection Act 2019, Ms. Begum added.

The commission directed the revenue officer to update the e-passbook entries within three weeks and pay Rs. 11,000 to the woman as compensation and Rs. 2,000 as litigation expenses.