The State Cabinet, on Thursday, is learnt to have decided to constitute a sub-committee to suggest recommendations on whether changes could be made in relevant legislation to allow regularisation of land occupied unauthorisedly for agriculture purposes around Bangalore and other urban local bodies (ULBs).
At present, the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964 (Section 94-A4), prevents such regularisation within 18 km of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike limits, 10 km of other City corporations and five km of all other municipality limits.
According to sources, the panel will study the issue in details and come out with a policy. It will make suggestions whether certain relaxations could be provided at least in cases where occupants earn their livelihood by cultivating government land near the city limits, the sources said.
The sub-committee was constituted following a suggestion by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra, the sources said. The panel is likely to be headed by Revenue Minister V Sreenivas Prasad. The sources said the move would help prevent illegal regularisation of land.
The Comptroller and Auditor General report of 2010 had pointed out that 264 acres of land held under unauthorised occupation by 139 applicants were regularised illegally, though falling within 18 km of the BBMP limits. At present, there is no compilation of details of such land around ULBs across the State. The panel will seek records from all ULBs.
Besides, BBMP, there are 213 ULBs in the State, including seven city corporations, 44 city municipal councils, 94 town municipal councils and 68 taluk panchayats in the State.
The panel will also take into consideration the recent High Court rulings on land grant and regularisation, before coming out with a policy, the sources said. Once finalised, the government will place its policy before the High Court, before taking it to the implementation stage, the sources said.