The February 25 Kerala government order altering the fee structure for the conversion of land is expected to place an extra burden on Revenue Division Offices (RDO), already bogged down by hundreds of pending applications.
The order has relaxed the land-conversion fee structure, fixed on the basis of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy and Wetland Act, 2008. The relaxation is expected to double the number of applications reaching RDOs across the state.
Free of cost
The highlight of the order is that unnotified land (those not included in the databank), measuring 25 cents or below, can now be converted free of cost.
Same fee structure
The government has also unified the fee structure for land conversion in panchayat, municipality and corporation areas. Earlier, each had a different fee structure and no relaxation was allowed on the basis of the land area that was to be converted.
The order has specifically mentioned that the relaxation would be applicable to only those 25 cents that existed on or before amending the Kerala Conservation of Paddy and Wetland Act on December 30, 2017. Land converted to plots of 25 cents or below after December 2017, would not be eligible for the relaxation in fees. Such land would be considered as a single holding and the fee would be fixed based on the total area.
Land conversion rates
Above 25 cents to one acre: 10% of the fair price.
Above 1 acre: 20% of the fair price. The fee is uniform across panchayat, municipality and corporation areas.
Construction
Rs 100 per square feet if the building measures above 3000 sq. ft.
How to apply?
Application to convert unnotified land should be submitted to the RDO concerned. Ownership documents, a challan for Rs 1,000 and a sketch of the land prepared by an authorized surveyor, too, should be submitted along with the application.
Points to remember
While converting more than 50 cents, 10% of the total area should be set aside for conserving water.
The fair price considered will be of the neighbouring property; not of the land that has to be converted.
The relaxation is exclusively for land not included in the databank. However, errors in the databank may deny the benefit to several people. Applications from such people will be considered only after rectifying the errors.
