Andhra government tables bill to repeal land titling act
VIJAYAWADA: The State government tabled a Bill on the floor of the Legislative Assembly to repeal the Andhra Pradesh Land Titling Act (APLTA) - 2022 on Tuesday. The State government explained the reasons necessary to repeal the APLTA- 2022, including the lack of due diligence and wider consultation among stakeholders, the legal nature of the Act as it forces the landholders and owners of the properties at the mercy of mischievous elements in society, removal of Civil Courts’ role as any disputes recorded by the Title Registration Officer (TRO) can only be challenged in the High Court.
The Andhra Pradesh land authority has observed that the Title Registration Officers (TROs), who may lack sufficient experience and education, are likely to increase land disputes during the registration and other procedures central to the enforcement of the Act.
“After buying immovable property, it must be re-registered with the Title Registration Officer. The TRO’s decisions on property matters are final and cannot be challenged in regular civil courts. Thus, property owners will constantly be under the TROs oversight,” the repeal Bill of the APLTA read. Under the provisions of the APLTA, individuals must file suits in the High Court instead of lower courts, complicating the legal recourse.
It claimed that after land registrations, the TRO would provide the landowner with a photocopy of the documents while retaining the originals. This fans the fear that the State government may mortgage the lands of the private individuals at financial institutions (banks) to secure loans without the land owner’s consent.
On other hand, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman while tabling the Budget suggested the State government take up land-related reforms to cover land administration in both rural and urban areas, planning and management, usage and building bylaws. These reforms will be incentivised for completion within the next three years through appropriate fiscal support, the Sitaraman proposed.
The reforms include assignment of Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) or Bhu-Aadhaar for all lands, digitisation of cadastral maps and records with GIS mapping, and survey of maps as per current ownership among others. An IT based-system for property record and tax administration will be established, she added.
Digital land records
Previously, YSRC government enacted the APLTA- 2022 to create land records of all immovable properties in the State, title registration system, to capture and maintain records in digital form