The Maharashtra Revenue Department has revoked its previous order that stayed the conversion of Occupancy Class-II lands into freehold. These lands are also known as collector’s land since they need permission from the collector for the transfer of land.
The concept of freehold refers to a situation wherein the ownership of the land lies with the occupants and they are free to use it in any manner as long as they adhere to the local rules and regulations.
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Salil Rameshchandra, President, Federation of Grantees of Government Land was encouraged by the development saying, “The blanket stay order should not have been issued as it created problems for several plot holders across Maharashtra. The decision did not affect Mumbai much as residents are unable to afford the premium to be paid for the conversion.”
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He added that their work will now comprise of convincing the state to reduce the premiums to 5 per cent as was done for Nazul (revenue) lands in the Vidarbha region.
The initial stay order was issued in December 2020 after receiving complaints from constituents that the conversion order was being misused. However, Shiv Sena MLA from Kurla, Mangesh Kudalkar reportedly convinced Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to reverse the order.
Kudalkar mentioned that a majority of the 3,000 housing societies on collector’s land are in his constituency, adding that these housing societies are around 40 to 50 years old and in a dilapidated condition. He further said that these societies are in desperate need of redevelopment.
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