G.O. (Ms.) No. 78, Empowered Committee for Land Transfers, 2018

What the government order does

G.O. (Ms.) No. 78 of the Housing and Urban Development Department, dated 15 June 2018, creates an Empowered Committee headed by the Chief Secretary. Its purpose is to address pending land transfers to the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, including lands with and without objections, through a single government order so that sale deeds can be issued to beneficiaries who received plots.

The lands relate to the Chennai Metropolitan Development Project in Chennai district and the Tamil Nadu Urban Development Project in Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Madurai, Salem, Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore, Vellore and Tirunelveli districts.

Scale of the pending transfers

The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board reported that 732 project areas had been implemented with World Bank assistance. Land had been transferred for 495 project areas, while transfers remained pending for 237 project areas.

The pending cases included:

• 52 involving the Government Revenue Department.
• 165 identified district wise.
• 1 involving the Tamil Nadu Housing Board.
• 10 involving the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.
• 8 involving the Railways.
• 1 involving the Indian Institute of Technology.

Committee and responsibilities

The Empowered Committee includes senior officials from the Finance Department, Land Administration, Housing and Urban Development Department, Public Works Department and Revenue Department. The Principal Secretary and Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board is the convenor.

G.O. (Ms.) No. 78 also assigns the committee to examine land transfer problems concerning the Tamil Nadu Housing Board. The managing authorities of both boards were instructed to take the necessary action.

Specific land issues

• For Tamil Nadu Housing Board land in Thiruvanmiyur village, the committee may seek a no objection certificate and transfer after waiver of the stated interest amount, as decided at a joint meeting.
• For 10 Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department project sites, the proposal was to accept only the principal land price and register the lands to the board.
• For 8 Railway project sites, the committee may request transfer without land price because plots were allotted at low prices to poor residents and Burma refugees were living there.
• For the Kanagam project land belonging to the Indian Institute of Technology, the proposal was to pay compensation of Rs.63,525 and approach the Government of India’s Human Resource Development Department for transfer.

Who may be affected

Plot allottees in the listed projects may be affected where a sale deed has been delayed because ownership of the project land has not yet been transferred to the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board.