Karnataka will take up a campaign to issue title deeds to at least 50,000 dwellers of undocumented settlement areas, including Lambani tandas, Revenue Minister R. Ashok informed the Legislative Council on Wednesday.
In two months
Replying to BJP member Shashil G. Namoshi during the question hour, the Minister said although scores of people have been residing in tandas, hadis, and gollarahattis for many years they have no land records. “Due to this, they are deprived of government facilities. We have planned to distribute title deeds to at least 50,000 people in the next two months on a mission mode. After issuing the title deed, officials have been directed to take up registration of all the documents in the office of the respective Sub-Registrar every day for one hour,” he said.
Pointing out that 3,218 undocumented settlements had been identified in the State, the Minister said preliminary notification had been issued to convert 2,091 inhabited areas into villages. While the final notification had been issued for 1,166 villages, preliminary notification of 923 villages had been proposed, he said.
Quasi-judicial cases
Several measures have been initiated to expeditiously hear quasi-judicial appeals related to the Revenue Department and reduce the burden of pending cases. Apart from fixing a time limit for disposal of cases, Deputy Commissioners along with Additional Deputy Commissioners, sub-divisional officers, and tahsildars have been empowered to hear cases, Mr. Ashok said.
Replying to JD(S) member C.N. Manje Gowda, the Minister said tahsildars had been instructed to settle land mutation (transfer or change of title in the records of the local municipal body), khata and RTC transfer applications through Bhoomi software within 60 days and within three months for disputed cases.
“Similarly, cases at the level of sub-divisional officers and Deputy Commissioners should be settled within six months. While the Deputy Commissioners have been instructed to resolve 75 cases a month, sub-divisional officers and tahsildars have been directed to settle 100 cases. Additional Deputy Commissioners have also been empowered to settle cases,” the Minister said.
Tahsildars to be empowered
He added that tahsildars would soon be empowered to correct minor mistakes in land documents. As of now, people are forced to make frequent visits to revenue offices to get the mistakes corrected, he said.
Replying to another question by BJP member P.M. Muniraju Gowda, Mr. Ashok said, “As compared to all the other districts in the State, land prices in Bengaluru are skyrocketing. This has resulted in huge pendency of cases pertaining to land podi in both Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts.” On fake documents, the Minister said, “There are 400 documents for 200 acres of land. There are documents where the same land is in the name of two or three people. Hence, the disposal of podi applications is getting delayed.”
