Maharashtra To Introduce Land Titling Law

The Maharashtra government is set to introduce a law for land titles, which will conclusively establish land ownership and offer legal protection to property owners. The law will be introduced in the winter session of the state legislature in December.

The proposed law is intended to be on the lines of what city states like Singapore and Dubai, and scores of developed countries, have in place. The advantages of such a law are obvious, as it will streamline real estate transactions and prevent or clear systemic land disputes.

According to Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the government will introduce the Land Titling Bill in the winter session. The procedure of President’s assent may take a few more months after that.

The exact number of land title disputes in Maharashtra is hard to come by, but news reports show that tens of thousands of pending land and revenue dispute cases clog the offices of the revenue department or linger in courts for decades. Across India, nearly 66 per cent of all civil suits are disputes related to land and property.

The prevailing system has relied on the traditional 7/12 extracts being handed down to the last buyer in property transactions and title searches done for the past 12 to 30 years in case of property—or apartment—purchases. These lend themselves to being fabricated or faked and lead to disputes or, in some extreme cases, unsuspecting genuine owners being cheated out of their ownership.

The existing sale deed registration and property tax receipt systems indicate land titles but do not conclusively establish them. This, at best, is presumptive ownership of land and, at worst, merely cogent evidence of money paid to a government office.

The proposed law will guarantee that the ownership of land is listed on property documents, with the official measurement of the land before a transaction can be registered, and issues digital property cards—or vertical cards to apartment owners in housing societies—that display exact boundaries and owners’ identities.

The challenge will be to implement the law in a time-bound and streamlined manner so that the system does not leave out even the smallest of transactions and the humblest of buyers.

The impact of the proposed law will unfold in the years to come, but when the Bill is introduced, it will mark a much-needed revision and upgrade since the colonial land record system.

The introduction of the Land Titling Law will be a significant step towards preventing land disputes and ensuring that property owners have legal protection. It will also help to streamline real estate transactions and reduce the number of pending land and revenue dispute cases.

In conclusion, the Maharashtra government's decision to introduce a law for land titles is a welcome move, and its implementation will be key to its success. The law has the potential to bring about a significant reduction in land disputes and ensure that property owners have legal protection.