THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a significant move, the revenue department has rolled out a road map to issue title deeds (pattayam) to all those who have been denied ownership certificates to their properties for decades based on technicalities. It has already initiated steps to collect details of such families on the internal dashboard of the proposed Pattaya Mission.
It has been decided to entrust a tahsildar or RDO in each taluk with identifying the issues related to title deeds. Collectors or assistant land revenue commissioners will be in charge at the district level. Discussions have been initiated with the PWD, KSEB, LSG, KWA as many of the title deed issues are linked to land owned by these departments. So far, 2,000 issues have been included on the dashboard. The department had also identified around 7,000 issues linked to forest land. The government took up the issue after the LDF decided to issue title deeds to families living on properties whose right of ownership is still disputed. According to sources in the revenue department, numerous families live on lands whose title deeds are not in their name.
In the case of colony title deeds, the government or local self-governments handed over plots to landless persons. However, in most cases, title documents are still in the name of the government or local bodies. In some cases where land was gifted by individuals, the basic tax register is still in the name of donors. Moreover, many families were found to be still living on poramboke (government) land. And in some rare cases linked to land donated orally, the delay in transfer of property had stalled the issuance of new title deeds.
Where the land is owned by government institutions or LSGs, title deeds will be first surrendered to the government before the revenue department takes steps to hand them over to the respective families. In cases involving legal tangles, the revenue department will consider bringing in amendments to the Land Assignment Rules, under which families will be handed over land that they have possessed for a very long time. However, the department has identified some cases where legal issues could hinder transfers. It has directed officials to collect details of such land and register them on the dashboard.
The department’s efforts coincide with the state’s decision to issue 60,000 title deeds by May 10 of this year. It created a record of sorts by issuing 53,450 title deeds within the first year of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government. It had issued a total of 1.70 lakh title deeds in the current dispensation’s first term.
Supervision
It has been decided to entrust a tahsildar or RDO in each taluk with identifying the issues related to title deeds. Collectors or assistant land revenue commissioners will be in charge at the district level