KOCHI: Ratheesh (name changed) has seen his ancestral property in Idukki’s Thodupuzha increase by 16 cents after the resurvey of his family’s holding of nearly 2.5 acres of land. However, his real problem is he can neither get the excess land assigned in his name nor pay property tax until the new document is done. Making matters complicated is the fact that there is no clarity on when the issue will be resolved.
On the flip side, the worst fear of George Varghese, another resident in the same area, have come true as his father’s 1.55 acres of land shrunk by 55 cents after the resurvey. “A large number of people, including shopkeepers, are seeing a decline in land holdings after the resurvey. Many are planning to move the court,” he said. Having begun a statewide digital resurvey to collate reliable data on land ownership, the government is facing an unexpected situation -- increase in land area of private parties.
There are also instances where landowners face the prospect of a decrease in their acreage. So far, hundreds of such cases have come to light. Revenue department officers said the problem the government is facing is how to grant ownership rights of the excess land to the private landholder, even if it is undisputed, in a fair manner while eliminating chances of disputes.
Meanwhile, landowners cannot pay property tax until the excess land is assigned to them. Those who got more than five per cent as excess land in the resurvey are groping in the dark on how to resolve the issue. The digital resurvey is a mammoth project across 1,550 villages, which the government hopes to complete in four years in four phases. In the first phase, the resurvey is being done in 200 villages simultaneously, which is to be completed within six months. Another 200 villages will be covered in the next six months.
We are preparing comprehensive Settlement Act: Revenue minister
“We have not decided how to tackle the issue. There are several suggestions, including granting ownership, if it is undisputed and non-government land,” said an officer. Revenue Minister K Rajan told TNIE that the government is preparing a comprehensive ‘Settlement Act’, a draft of which will be put up for public debate probably after the upcoming assembly session.
As per the existing provision, a tahsildar can assign the extra land to the private landowner if it is below five per cent of the existing holding. “If the landholding exceeds five per cent after resurvey, the respective district collectors can grant ownership of the excess land. However, they would refrain from doing so as they are not ‘settlement officers’,” Rajan said. The proposed Settlement Act is expected to assign the role of ‘settlement officers’ to the respective collectors, he indicated. “Through digital resurvey, the government is undertaking a humongous task. The last land resettlement in Kerala was done way back in 1905. During the last resurvey, in 1966, conventional methods were used. This time, the department is using latest technology, like Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) networks using Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) machines. Your latest land details will immediately be available on your digital device (mobile phones, computers, etc),” Rajan said.
Those unable to pay the property tax do not have this facility. Rajan said the department is also considering the possibility of charging a small fee from private landowners to grant them ownership of extra land, if any, after the resurvey. “These are just preliminary discussions. We haven’t taken any decision. If there is an increase in just two cents over a large area, say one acre, there won’t be any problem in granting ownership of the two extra cents. If there is an increase of 16 cents with a private landowner whose existing holding is 10 cents, there will be a problem,” Rajan said.
1,500 surveyors, 3,200 helpers to be appointed
To speed up the resurvey, the government will appoint 1,500 surveyors and 3,200 helpers, Revenue Minister K Rajan said. They will be appointed on contract for 179 days at a stretch, which can be extended after a short break as required under the contract staff rules.
PROBLEMS
How to grant ownership of excess land without future disputes
Tahsildar authorised to assign extra land, if less than 5% of total holdings
In case of holdings above 5%, no one is entrusted, though district collectors can do it
Those who received more than 5% unable to pay property tax till the excess land is assigned
The proposed ‘Settlement Act’ to provide answers, but its implementation will take time