For six years, farmers of Hosanagar taluk waiting to get RTC of land granted to them

Many farmers of Nagodi village in Hosanagar taluk have been waiting for the last six years to get documents of the land they had been allotted in their names.

They have got certificates of the land grant (saguvali cheeti)– after paying penalty. However, the struggle to get the RTC – the record of rights, tenancy and crops – has been going on since 2016.

The farmers from Nagodi village had applied for a grant of the land they had been cultivating for years. The Hosanagar taluk bagair hukum committee had considered their application and granted them two acres each in 2016. They have cultivated areca, banana, and other crops in the said land.

The delay in getting the RTC in their name had left them in worry. Every time they visit the tahsildar’s office, they return home disappointed.

“I don’t know if I get the RTC in my name before my death,” said Dyava Naik, who is in his late 70s. The farmers claim that they must have visited the tahsildar’s office at least 50 times in the last six years.

Unless they get the RTC, they do not have rights over the land they have been cultivating. As of now, vast acres of areca plantations in Hosanagar have been affected by leaf-spot disease.

If the government decided to offer relief for the growers, these farmers would lose it if they failed to produce RTC to claim the amount.

“We are worried we may lose our plantation well before we get documents of our land,” Ramachandra said.

When The Hindu contacted V.S.Rajeev, tahsildar of Hosanagar, he said the farmers had met him and he was aware of the issue. “Within the 2,000 acres of revenue land available in the village, a portion has to be earmarked as grazing land (gomala) for cattle. Hence, issing RTC in their names had been delayed,” he said.

The officer said the process to survey the land had been initiated. “We will verify their records and get approval from the assistant commissioner to issue RTC in their names,” the officer added.