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The Kerala cabinet has cleared rules for the Kerala Land Assignment (Amendment) Act, ending decades of uncertainty for families holding pattayam (title deeds) with land-use violations. Applications can now be filed online within a year, with residential homes exempt from all fees and small commercial or industrial units up to 3,000 sq ft regularised without charges. Larger establishments will pay graded fees, while charitable, cultural, and religious institutions are fully exempt. Importantly, applications must be processed within 90 days or will be "deemed approved" curbing bureaucratic delays. The move provides long-awaited relief while ensuring future land-use changes require prior approval.
After decades of legal limbo and procedural hurdles, a sense of relief is finally reaching the high ranges of Kerala. The state cabinet has officially cleared the rules for the Kerala Land Assignment (Amendment) Act, a long-awaited piece of legislation aimed at regularizing past violations on land given under pattayam (title deeds). The decision marks the culmination of a process initiated with the unanimous passage of the bill last year, bringing a definitive end to a wait of more than six decades for many families. Advertisement
To make the process easier and more inclusive, the rules provide a clear framework. Applications can be submitted online within a one-year window. The government has categorized land uses to ensure fairness, with residential homes built for self-occupation exempt from all fees, offering immediate relief to families. Small commercial and industrial units up to 3,000 square feet can be regularized without compounding fees, giving much-needed support to small business owners. Larger commercial and industrial establishments will face a graded fee based on the land's fair value, while buildings for charitable, cultural, and religious institutions are fully exempt from charges.
The move is designed to provide relief for past deviations, and all future land-use changes will require prior government approval. The rules also include a critical provision stipulating that applications must be processed within 90 days, if they are not, they will be "deemed approved," a measure designed to prevent bureaucratic delays and provide timely relief to applicants. The government has stated that a second set of rules will be drafted in the future to further define the conditions for new, alternative land uses.
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