Revenue Follow-up Work in Resurveyed Areas

What the notification governs

Government Order No. 103, issued by the Government of Tamil Nadu Revenue Department on 1 March 2007, sets out the revenue follow-up work to be carried out after resurvey in Corporation and Municipal Town areas, except old Chennai City. Assistant Settlement Officers and Settlement Tahsildars undertake the work under the control and supervision of settlement authorities.

The main purpose is to bring the revenue registry up to date where ownership, occupation, land use or classification may have changed since the final survey check.

Who may be affected

The notification may affect owners, pattadars and occupants of land in the covered Corporation and Municipal Town areas, particularly where:

• Private holdings or agricultural land have been used as house sites or for other non-agricultural purposes.
• Assessed waste or assessed house-site land is occupied by a person claiming ownership.
• House-site pattas were issued by the Revenue Department.
• Natham land, temporary patta land, conditional assignment land or ground-rent patta land is recorded.
• Roads, streets, pathways, bus stands, water tanks, public wells or similar public-use properties require classification.

Registry and patta process

The notification requires the following steps:

• Field staff must inspect every field and record ownership after enquiry.
• An officer not below the rank of Settlement Deputy Tahsildar must conduct a further inspection.
• The Assistant Settlement Officer must over-check ten percent of cases.
• Eligible holdings may be subdivided and pattas issued according to ownership and enjoyment.
• Agricultural patta land used for non-agricultural purposes must be subdivided according to enjoyment.
• A rough patta must show resurvey and old survey details, land classification, area and ground rent due.

The Settlement Tahsildar must give the recorded owner notice and conduct a hearing. Where no Revenue Department assignment order exists, ownership may be decided using oral or documentary evidence of enjoyment for thirty years before publication of the notification in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette.

Objections and appeals

A rough patta objection hearing must be fixed at least fifteen days after service of the rough patta. Objections filed after the notified date may be accepted only if the delay is explained to the Settlement Tahsildar's satisfaction.

An appeal against the Settlement Tahsildar's order may be made to the Assistant Settlement Officer within thirty days of communication. A further appeal to the Settlement Officer, Chennai, and a revision to the Director of Survey and Settlement are each allowed within sixty days of receipt of the relevant order. Clerical errors may be corrected during or after the work with the required approvals.