Is a Committee Being Formed to Amend the Maharashtra Prevention of Fragmentation and Consolidation of Holdings Act?

Mumbai, July 16 (NationPress) The state government has formed a committee chaired by the Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department to modify the Maharashtra Prevention of Fragmentation and Consolidation of Holdings Act, 1947.

During a session in the state assembly, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule stated that the 1947 legislation was introduced to avert the fragmentation of agricultural land into smaller sections and encourage cost-effective farming. However, over time, the challenges linked to this Act and the increasing call for the regularization of unauthorized fragmented land holdings have come to the forefront.

There is a pressing need for amendments to permit one-guntha (1,080 sq ft) plots in residential areas. This will facilitate the legal subdivision of such plots and streamline the process for dividing revenue land.

Minister Bawankule affirmed that the government will bestow legal status on subdivided land parcels by January 1, 2025, by easing and gradually eliminating the land fragmentation regulations.

He noted that more than 50 lakh families are reportedly impacted by the issues stemming from land fragmentation rules, indicating that plots up to one guntha (approximately 1,089 sq ft) created before January 2025 will be recognized as legal, allowing citizens to secure official property rights. Any plots subdivided after January must adhere strictly to the development authority's standards.

The committee, under the leadership of the Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue), will also devise a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) within 15 days.

Members of the committee include the Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) and representatives from the Revenue and Forest Department, Additional Chief Secretary (Urban Development-1), Principal Secretary (Rural Development), Settlement Commissioner of Land Records, Inspector General of Registration, Controller of Stamps, Director (Town Planning), and Joint/Deputy Secretary (Law and Judiciary Department). Furthermore, special invitees Rajendra Kshirsagar, Member (Administrative) of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Tribunal, and N.R. Shende, a retired Director (Town Planning), will provide insights.

The committee's mandate includes developing a strategy for organized land transfers and development in areas excluded from urban zones due to land fragmentation, evaluating the viability of simplifying the regularization process under Section 8B of the Act, defining the procedure for regularizing fragmented holdings under Section 9(3), establishing an SOP for the regularization of fragmented holdings created through registered deeds, and considering their transfers in the rights registry.

Additionally, the committee will propose amendments to the legislation to include buyers' names in unregistered purchase transactions in the rights register, launch a campaign to regularize registered purchase transactions, and devise a procedure for regularizing fragmented holdings arising from unregistered purchase transactions alongside the subsequent registration process.