Land Ownership Rule Amendment – Cabinet Approval for Regulations

Patta Land (Title Deed) Regularization Made Easier

Houses already built will be regularized by charging only an application fee.
For transferred land, a fixed percentage of the fair value will be charged as a fee.

The cabinet has approved the land ownership rule amendment to regularize the use of patta (title deed) land in violation of original conditions. This amendment applies to usage changes that occurred until June 7, 2024, which is the date the amended law came into effect. Land that was granted for agriculture and housing can now be used for other purposes with certain conditions.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated after the cabinet meeting that the amendment addresses the long-standing land issues faced by people in highland regions and fulfils a 2021 LDF election promise. The amendment still requires approval from the Legislative Subject Committee.

Key Provisions:

• All houses built for the residence of patta landowners will be regularized by charging only an application fee.
• Patta land transferred after the legally permitted period will also be regularized. In such cases, a fixed percentage of the fair value will be charged as a fee from the new owners.
• If the land was transferred and repurposed with prior permission, it will also be eligible for regularization under these rules.
• If houses have been built on patta land allotted for a specific purpose, no consideration of land area is required. Regularization will be done by collecting a small fee with the application. There will be no compounding fee (fee usually charged for unauthorized change of land use). The process will be based on the owner’s affidavit.
• Government buildings, public spaces, and commercial buildings up to 3000 sq. ft. used for livelihood will be regularized without a compounding fee.
• Authorities must decide on applications within 90 days. If not, it will be considered as deemed permission, and a regularization certificate will be issued through an online system.
• Buildings used for agriculture, agriculture-related activities, educational, religious, cultural, recreational purposes, or by community organizations, major political parties, hospitals, and government-recognized schools will be regularized without compounding fees.