For the first time in history, a cluster of 14 villages on the rich mining belt of Sandur Taluk in Bellary district of Karnataka will be surveyed this year. Even though these villages existed on Kachcha maps, they were left out for over 51 years.
According to a report in Bangalore Mirror, it was in 1910, when all the villages, cities and towns of Karnataka were surveyed for the first time. Then in 1965 they were surveyed again in which a recalibration was carried out of all the lands and properties in the state. It was then when a cluster of 14 villages in the surroundings of Sandur district were left out. Because of which the land owners of all the 14 villages- Dharmapura, Kartikeshwara, Devagiri, Susheela-nagar, Siddapura, Ramghada, Hulikunte, Ranjitpura, Shankrapura, Mudaaripura, Obalapura, Jodi Bommanahalli, Jodi Kasinayka-nahalli and Tippanamaradi, still do not have right of record of their properties, making it impossible for them to transact their lands.
The report further states that these 14 villages were initially under the Madras Presidency, where the Imam granted villages which explains why these villagers have temporary numbers instead of legal records of the lands in their names. This has made it tough for the agriculturalists in these regions to sell or purchase properties.
"It is a huge task as from time immemorial, these villages were not surveyed and the exercise is happening for the first time. Each village is expected to have around 200 acres, and in all, around 3,000 acres will be surveyed. There are some pockets in Karnataka where the urbanised areas haven't been resurveyed. But the Sandur villages are coming into our records now. This should take about six months for completion after which, every farmer will be given land records in his/her name," commissioner for survey, settlement and land records, Munish Moudgil, told Bangalore Mirror.
He further explained that only after the land owners are given Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (RTC), it will become an authentic document. It will then be registered with Bhoomi records which will help people access their land records online.
In 2011, the land survey department carried out a similar exercise in which 28 villages were recalibrated. However, the RTCs were issued this year. Moudgil also said that once the resurveys of 14 villages are completed, they will also resurvey some of urbanised pockets and bring non-agriculture properties into their records. This includes Bengaluru, where several areas are out of the survey maps.
