Hyderabad: In the state, agents at Mee Seva centers are overcharging people, collecting more money than the established fees. Despite set fees, these are not being enforced. Revenue officials and higher-ups are neglecting inspections, giving some agents the liberty to exploit the system.
Agents found loopholes in the Bhu Bharathi Portal (formerly Dharani Portal) and embezzled crores. They pocketed registration fees and stamp duties meant for the government. A farmer’s complaint in Janagam district exposed a major scam. The former government introduced the Dharani Portal for property registration, transferring powers from the Registration and Stamps Department to mandal tahsildars. Tahsildars were given the power to register agricultural land, but not to verify fee payments. This gap allowed agents to take advantage and pocket substantial amounts.
The Congress government launched a new Bhu Bharathi Portal, modifying the Dharani Portal without studying potential technical and financial vulnerabilities. Agents found opportunities to commit fraud here too. People, lacking proper understanding, approached Mee Seva centers for property transactions, where agents exploited them. They siphoned off crores meant for government fees.
Typically, a farmer selling land goes to the local tahsildar’s office for registration. The buyer approaches a nearby Mee Seva agent to book a registration slot, paying fees upfront. However, agents book slots online with minimal payments, keeping most of the money. For example, instead of paying ₹55,000, only ₹550 is paid, and a receipt is given. The buyer and seller then go to the tahsildar’s office, where registration is completed without fee verification. Agents turned this into a lucrative scheme.
In Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district, 1,367 agricultural land registrations were reviewed by the district collector. The government was to receive ₹5.49 crore, but only ₹57 lakh was deposited. NIC and tahsildars’ initial investigations revealed agents pocketed 90% of the money. In Choutuppal, an agent named Tarun collected ₹1.20 lakh for 240 slots but deposited only ₹90,000 online. Complaints against agents looting in districts like Rangareddy, Sangareddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri, and Janagam have reached the government, which formed a high-level committee to investigate. Warangal CCS police have detained three Mee Seva center operators for questioning.
The previous Chalana system is seen as more secure, with tahsildars advocating its reinstatement. Payments were made via banks, ensuring no diversion of funds. Officials suggest revising the Bhu Bharathi software to allow direct deposits from sellers’ bank accounts to the government, reducing fraud.
