Telangana to appoint 4–6 surveyors per mandal for better land services: Ponguleti

Hyderabad: The Telangana government will appoint four to six licence surveyors per mandal to ensure accessible land services at grassroots level, said Minister for Revenue, Housing and I and PR, Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy.

This step is aimed at strengthening the village revenue system, where the farmers will benefit from this, said Srinivas Reddy.

License distribution on October 19

The minister announced that the Chief Minister, A Revanth Reddy, will distribute licenses to the newly trained licensed surveyors at Shilpa Kala Vedika on October 19.

This move is particularly critical given the State government’s Bhoobharathi Act, which mandates the submission of a land survey map during registration. This necessitates a more active role for the survey department. The minister noted that the current 350 surveyors are insufficient to meet the goals set by the Bhoobharathi Act.

The government is taking concurrent steps: inducting licensed surveyors, filling vacant posts in the Survey Department and procuring state-of-the-art equipment for land surveying.

What was the recruitment and training process?

Revenue secretary DS Lokesh Kumar and survey department commissioner Rajeev Gandhi Hanumanth explained the process:

Phase 1: In response to the CM’s directive, applications were invited, and 10,000 people applied. As many as 7,000 were trained in the first phase, and 3,465 candidates successfully qualified. These qualified surveyors will now be appointed, 4 to 6 per mandal, depending on the land area.

Phase 2: Training for another 3,000 candidates began on August 18. A qualifying examination, conducted by JNTU, will be held on October 26. Those who qualify will undergo a 40-day apprenticeship training and their services are expected to be available by the second week of December.

Strengthening the revenue system

The minister emphasised the integral connection between the Revenue and Survey Departments, stating that clear land measurements and records are essential to reduce disputes.

He said that the survey department had been neglected for the past 10 years, leading to inadequate services due to a lack of field staff.

“The goal is to strengthen the system so that people receive necessary land-related services through the GPOs in every revenue department of the village and now licensed surveyors will be present in every mandal,” the minister stated. He affirmed the government’s commitment to providing clear land records and corruption-free services without causing inconvenience to the public.