Kottayam: A digital resurvey across Kerala has uncovered significant discrepancies in land measurements when compared to traditional village records. This divergence affects both privately owned lands and areas adjacent to forests, posing a major challenge to the state government. Reports indicate that around 40% of land measurements differ between digital resurvey data and Basic Tax Register (BTR) records. Resolving these inconsistencies requires a comprehensive Settlement Act, but its formulation and implementation remain complex and time-consuming.
In Pathanamthitta’s Perumpetty region, a notable example of this issue has emerged. Over 1,000 parcels of land classified as ‘Reserve Forest’ in the BTR were identified as lying outside forest boundaries during the digital survey. These discrepancies have fueled long-standing protests, with the Forest Department continuing to assert ownership.
Digital survey efforts have so far been completed in 249 villages, while work progresses in 179 more. A unified portal integrating data from the Registration, Revenue, and Survey departments now serves as a centralized repository for this updated information.
Revenue Minister K. Rajan emphasized that a new Settlement Act is crucial for addressing mismatches between digital survey data and BTR records. The proposed law aims to provide landowners with the opportunity to regularize additional land identified in the survey, provided there are no competing claims. In such cases, owners can retain the land by paying applicable taxes.
The concept of a settlement law is not new to Kerala; a similar legislation was introduced in the Travancore-Cochin era. However, no such law has been enacted since. The government hopes this initiative will offer a permanent solution to land measurement disputes while ensuring equitable resolution for all stakeholders.
