Thiruvananthapuram: Buildings up to 1,500 square feet, on leased land (pattaya land) measuring 15 cents or less, can now be regularised free of charge, if they are used as a means of livelihood. Applicants and their dependents must prove that they do not have land elsewhere. The new bill is expected to benefit shops and other small structures, especially in the Idukki district.
The Revenue Department will issue the new rules in this regard after the bill amending the Kerala Government Land Assignment Act, 1960, becomes law. The draft is ready. There are 21 rules under the Land Assignment Act.
The new rules allow necessary amendments to be made to all of this. The revenue department had assessed that amending each rule for regularisation and permission to use the land for non-title deed uses was a complicated process. That is why new rules that allow amendments to all existing regulations are being framed. The rules of 1964 and 1995 will have to be modified extensively.
Constructions of more than 1,500 square feet will be classified on the basis of area, and application fees and regularisation fees will be charged accordingly. In addition to this, cess, annual cess, and green tax are also being considered. Constructions for public purposes will be considered a separate category in the regularization. A provision has also allows the acquired land to be used for any other purpose, even though, at present, the conditions have not been violated.
All-party meeting after party, front discussions
Revenue Minister K Rajan will hand over the draft of the new rules to the CPI once the Land Assignment Bill, which was passed unanimously by the Assembly, becomes law. It will then be discussed in the LDF and the all-party meeting. Consultations will also be held with the concerned organizations. It will come up for consideration by the Cabinet after being examined by the law, revenue, and finance departments. At the same time, the continuation of the cases that led to the amendment of the Land Assignment Act is still a headache for the government. Therefore, the draft of the new rules will be studied and examined in detail before being implemented.
