Illegal houses in gram panchayat limits to be regularised in Karnataka

People have applied for land rights but officials are not providing them, says Minister.

Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa has said that the government has decided to regularise illegal houses in gram panchayat limits.

Speaking to presspersons after chairing a Revenue Department review meeting here on Thursday, Mr. Thimmappa said that a few people have unknowingly constructed houses in land belonging to gram panchayats or, in some cases, on revenue land. Now, they have applied for land rights but officials have been citing various reasons and not providing land rights.

The government has directed to regularise all such houses and issue land rights to people without any delay. By December-end, the Revenue Department is aiming to allot land right to 10 lakh people, he added.

Farmers who have taken up cultivation in Mugali village are deprived of title deeds as the land is mentioned as social forestry land in land records. But, before the inclusion of social forestry land, this was government land. Hence, the officials should consider these people as bagair hukum cultivators and issue them title deeds. The assistant commissioners and tahsildars have to initiate action against those using agriculture land for non-agriculture purposes. The village accountants and revenue inspectors have to survey the land and submit report to the higher officials, he added.

Funeral ground

During the meeting, the officials brought to the notice of the Minister that many villages with large population do not funeral ground and are forced to perform the last rites in their fields. Panchayat Development Officers have been directed to visit such villages and immediately hand over revenue land, depending on the population, for setting up funeral grounds, he said.