ONGOLE: Alleged suicide by a small farmer, Seshaiah, in the Collectorate here has brought into sharp focus the negligent attitude of revenue officials in settling land disputes in the district.

Seshaiah and Sreeramulu, two small farmers belonging to backward classes, raised bajra on 2.5 acres of encroached land on the outskirts of Podili town.

Desperate act

They were despaired that some landlords had destroyed their crop. They consumed pesticide at Prakasam Bhavan where the District Collector was attending grievances day on Monday. They were rushed to the Government General Hospital at Guntur where Seshaiah died on Wednesday.

It is stated that the two handicapped persons had encroached the land four years ago and going round the mandal revenue office to get patta but in vain.

The revenue officials said that it was classified as Donka poramboke land. As it also acted as Vanka, the encroachment would obstruct flow of water and cause submersion. So they said it was an objectionable encroachment. But the farmers went with hope to the Collectorate twice and represented for land conversion and assignment of patta.

Officials visit fields

Meanwhile, they raised bajra this year. They complained to the Mandal Revenue Officer on September 9 that one Bathula Sreenivasulu obstructed them from entering their field. Revenue officials visited the spot and convinced the residents of Rajiv colony that the encroachers be allowed to harvest the crop for this year and action would be taken to evict them later.

In this background, the encroachers found to their dismay that one Badullah entered their field and destroyed the crop on Sept 11. They complained to the village secretary who visited the field with two constables. Even before police took any action, the aggrieved farmers went to Prakasam Bhavan and consumed pesticide to draw attention to their problem.

Human Rights Forum district convener, N. Venugopal, held revenue officials responsible for the suicide. Had the officials settled the dispute one way or the other, they could have saved the life of Seshaiah, he felt. He demanded compensation to the kin of the deceased. He demanded the revenue officials to settle land disputes expeditiously.

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