THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The revenue department will assign more officers to process applications for regularising reclamation of old wetlands and paddy fields.
In a statement on Thursday, the department said the strength of officers will be increased from the present 27 to 71 from July 1. Taluk-based processing will be adopted, the statement said.
The statement said as per the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008, only revenue divisional officers (RDOs) can approve regularisation applications and subsequent category change of land in revenue records. The current strength of 27 officers has created a huge backlog of applications, and to resolve this, the assembly enacted an amendment to enhance the number of officers, said the statement.
As per the amendment, an RDO means “an officer designated by the government not below the rank of deputy collector,” helping the government increase the number of sanctioning officers to 71, said the statement.
The government has also made other arrangements to clear the backlog, like creating 68 junior superintendents and 181 clerk posts to assist the RDOs. An order to appoint 123 surveyors on a temporary basis and hire 220 vehicles on rent was issued.