Karnataka’s Revenue Minister, Krishna Byre Gowda, recently announced a significant overhaul within the Revenue Department, focusing on streamlining services and drastically reducing the backlog of pending cases to better serve the public.
Speaking at the Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations in Hassan, Minister Byre Gowda highlighted the impressive progress. He noted that when he assumed office two and a half years ago, a staggering 10,774 cases before tahsildars exceeded the mandated 90-day clearance period. Thanks to dedicated efforts, this backlog has plummeted by over 94%, with only 696 cases now remaining past their deadline.
Similar improvements were seen with Assistant Commissioners, who are expected to resolve cases within six months. The department successfully tackled an enormous backlog of 59,339 cases that had been pending for over a year, reducing it by 80% to just 12,633. Critically, cases languishing for more than five years—some even for a decade or more—have been cut down from 32,737 to a mere 4,030.
To accelerate this progress, the state government appointed Special Assistant Commissioners. In Hassan district, for instance, cases pending before Assistant Commissioners dropped from 906 to 112, while those before the Deputy Commissioner fell from 732 to 194. Minister Byre Gowda emphasized that this swift resolution of cases translates into significant financial savings and reduced stress for the public.
Beyond administrative reforms, Mr. Byre Gowda also addressed the impact of recent weather events. He noted that while the kharif season saw slightly above-average rainfall, intense, short-duration downpours caused considerable damage in various regions. The Revenue Department has meticulously compiled data on both crop losses and damage to public infrastructure.
Reports indicate that 1.85 million farmers suffered crop losses across 1.45 million hectares. The state government has already initiated relief distribution. While State Disaster Response Fund norms mandated ₹1,550 crore in compensation, the government has decided to provide an additional ₹1,248 crore, bringing the total aid to a substantial ₹2,798 crore. Minister Byre Gowda assured that this amount is being directly credited to farmers’ accounts and should reach them within a week to ten days.
The heavy rains also inflicted an estimated ₹3,450 crore worth of damage to essential public infrastructure, including buildings and roads. Under National Disaster Response Force guidelines, the central government is obligated to provide ₹1,545 crore for rebuilding these structures. Minister Byre Gowda stated that a memorandum seeking these crucial funds is being prepared for submission. He also highlighted Karnataka’s position as the leading state in per capita tax payments, recalling a previous instance where the state successfully pursued compensation from the Centre through the Supreme Court during a drought.
Attendees at the event included Lok Sabha member Shreyas M. Patel, Deputy Commissioner K.S. Lathakumari, Superintendent of Police Mohammed Sujeetha, and Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer B.R. Poornima, among other dignitaries.