BENGALURU: The statewide exercise of regularising unauthorised occupation of government land has revealed that around 25 lakh properties have multiple owners, according to revenue department records and officials.Department officials told The New Indian Express that while undertaking a re-survey of properties and digitising data, it was found that 25 lakh properties have multiple owners with Record of rights, Tenancy & Crops (RTCs).
They said that when the government was handing over land to individuals or organisations, a record including the site measurement with sketches and ownership details should have been maintained and updated. In fact, it was in the 1970s that granting and gifting of government land started and it continued till 2000.
“It was stopped only recently. It is not just legacy data that needs to be modified, but also further subdivision of land parcels (called ‘hissa lands’) that have happened over time also needs to be updated and accounted for,” a revenue department official added.
He said that in some cases, multiple ownership was revealed only when people approached them during litigation on property ownership claims.
“It is becoming difficult to account for accurate site dimensions in these 25 lakh properties as many do not have original land documents to show ownership,” he added.
Karnataka has 1.8 crore land records, of which digitisation of 1.1 crore has been done by the Department of Survey, Settlement and Land Records. “The remaining 70 lakh are being done on a mission mode. The target is to complete them in 10 months to keep pace with various ongoing and upcoming Central government schemes and targets,” said another revenue department official.
While undertaking this exercise, the department is simultaneously geo-referencing each property and creating a Unified Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN). Details of each property has to be accounted for: the owner, source of procurement of land whether handed over from the government or inherited or agricultural land converted for residential purposes and other such details.
“The land record of each property has to be created and maintained. We have information of original land records from as old as 1803-1870, when the first survey was conducted by the British. Over time, land has been gifted by the government as grants or in other forms. While some land owners have proof of ownership and handover, many do not,” the official added.