Kerala tackles land ownership issues; New digital survey and Settlement Act proposal to resolve disputes

Thiruvananthapuram: As part of the digital survey, 7.43 lakh hectares of land in 312 villages in the state have been surveyed, said Revenue Minister K Rajan. 60 per cent survey will be completed by September. The minister said at the press conference that the fourth phase of the digital survey in the remaining villages will begin in August.

Digital survey procedures have been completed and documents have been published in Ujarulvar in Manjeshwaram Taluk of Kasaragod district and Mangad village in Kollam district.

Those who have complaints relating to the measurement can file a complaint through the 'Ente Bhoomi' portal. There will be four opportunities for this. Complaints that are not resolved in this can be submitted to the collectors.

A survey of private land in each village begins only after government land has been measured and verified. The minister clarified that no government land has been lost during the process. To address long-standing land ownership issues, a Settlement Act will be introduced in the next legislative session. This law aims to grant legal ownership rights to individuals who have occupied land beyond the boundaries of recorded land titles. The minister said that there is a lobby for illegal land acquisition in Attappadi. It has been found that illegal land acquisition has been done in three villages where the survey has been completed.