State to soon frame rules on more powers for leaseholders

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government will soon come out with the rules to allow leasehold and occupancy land holders to own the plots occupied by them.

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government will soon come out with the rules to allow leasehold and occupancy land holders to own the plots occupied by them.

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They will be allowed to conduct transactions such as sale and transfer of the properties.

This means that more than 3,000 cooperative housing societies on government land in Mumbai, which come under class II, will have their ownership making their redevelopment possible.

Similarly, the lease holds to the charitable trusts running schools, maintaining the grounds will have the freehold of the land leased out on 99 to 999 years.

In rural areas, the agriculture land held by tillers for decades will enjoy freehold and the farmers occupying them will be free to sell them easily. This change is being facilitated under the ease of doing business initiative of the government.

Soon after the amendment in the Maharashtra Land Revenue Act in the budget session, the state government formed a committee to decide the modalities of the implementation.

“The committee is expected to decide on the types of land that need to be excluded from the provisions, the quantum of the premium to be charged for conversion of the land to class-I making it freehold. This will help the redevelopment of the old buildings in the cities such as Mumbai, farmers to easily sell their farms for better agriculture activities and for better potential,” said a revenue department official.

At present, neither the government is able to restore its land from the occupant, nor the occupant is able to enjoy the ownership, he added. There are more than 1 lakh such land parcels under various laws and allotted for various purposes, including housing, social and charitable causes and tilling.

The lands are governed under various laws such as Land Ceiling Act, Tenancy Act and the transfer, sale and change of use of the land is curbed. The occupants need to seek permissions from the collectors and in some cases the difference between two sale deeds should be more than 10 years. Once the lands are upgraded to class-I, the occupants will be entitled to sell them by paying a premium ---- quantum of which is yet to be decided ---- to the government.