THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Revenue Department is planning to bring a law that will enable individuals, who possess more land than what is mentioned in records, to acquire the surplus land subject to conditions if no others claim ownership of the land. The new law is likely to be introduced after the digital resurvey gets completed.
The aim of the new law is that not even a single piece of land that is not owned by a private individual, institution or government should lie idle in the state. The government will also get a huge revenue as a regulatory fee.
The uniqueness of the law is that all legal possessions will be in order. The new law is expected to be enacted by the time the digital resurvey, which begins in May in 200 villages, gets completed. The Land Revenue Commissioner will prepare the draft and hand it over to the Administration and Legal Department. If these departments give the green signal, the cabinet will take a decision and leave it to the Assembly. An ordinance will also be considered if necessary.
In the past, there was a practice of paying taxes for the land mentioned in the document. However, as per the 1991 law, if more land is found in the survey, it will also be allowed to be taxed.
However, it was ordered on September 15, 2020, allowing the tehsildar to allow an increase of up to five per cent of the total land area in cases where the area is increasing after the resurvey. This was revoked by a new order issued on April 21st.
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