Unpaid land dues: defaulters get second chance

Govt. amends land revenue law to give land owners a window to clear dues

Thousands of landholders are likely to benefit from the state government’s decision to amend the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, allowing property owners to claim their attached land before it is sold for recovery of arrears by the government, senior officials said. The plots have been attached for failure to pay various types of levies imposed on land.

The amendment to section 182 of the Code was tabled in the assembly this week. The amendment now gives option to holders to get the attached land back on payment of the outstanding amount along with interest. “Such an amendment will give solace to hundreds of landholders whose lands were attached in the past for non-payment of arrears of land revenue,” the amendment reads.

Currently, section 182 gives power to the District Collector to attach the land of a defaulter and to take it under management, or adopt any other processes specified for recovery of land revenue arrears as deemed fit.

The Maharashtra Land Revenue Code contains provisions for levy of land revenue, conversion tax, fees and penalty among others. As per its provisions, various orders are passed by revenue authorities related to assessment or payment of these levies. “The person aggrieved by such orders can appeal to the appellate authority. These authorities then pass interim orders granting stay on recovery of amount,” an official said.

To make it difficult for a defaulter to obtain a stay on recovery, the government has amended section 256 as well. Now, the applicant will have to deposit 25 per cent of the outstanding amount before obtaining a stay on the recovery of the remainder.

Until recently, the government had solely depended on land as a source of income. The colonial system had put in place multiple land revenue systems to collect revenue from the rural community. The land revenue code was introduced in 1966 to consolidate different laws into a single land revenue administration.

The Maharashtra Land Revenue Code contains provisions for levy

of land revenue,

fees and penalty