KOCHI: Transfer of land among government departments will no longer be a long-drawn affair as the District Collectors have been vested with the powers to transfer government land to any department for common use. Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) P H Kurian issued the order meant to do away with the delay encountered in this regard. Consequently, Collectors can transfer up to 50 cents within the gram panchayat area while it will be 25 cents in the municipal area. However, within the Corporation limits, the Collector can only transfer up to 1o cents.
The order also says the Collectors will have to ensure the NOCs from the district-level officer of the department concerned.“In all cases where the government land to be transferred is not under the possession of Revenue Department, the Collectors should get the NOC from the officers of the respective departments,” it says.
Presently, transfer of land among service departments are ordered at the government-level with prior sanction from the Finance Department and by retaining the ownership of land in Revenue Department. This always led to inordinate delay.The ACS’ order is pretty clear the provisions in the order will not be applicable while transferring land to constitutional bodies, statutory bodies, autonomous institutions and bodies, PSUs, societies, local self-government institutions, boards, Corporations and grant-in-aid institutions.
“Henceforth, land transfer among department will be a split second affair following the order. Earlier, it was a cumbersome process as the request had to be made to the Land Revenue Commissioner. Now though, the Collectors can initiate action themselves and they need not wait for the Revenue Department’s nod,” said District Collector K Mohammed Y Safeerulla.