G.O. (Ms.) No. 172, Extension of the One-Time House-Site Patta Scheme, 2012
The Tamil Nadu Revenue Department issued Government Order (Standing) Number 172 on 23 May 2012, extending the one-time special scheme for regularising residential occupation of government land and granting house-site pattas from 1 October 2011 to 30 September 2012. The extension covers eligible people who had built houses and lived on government land for more than five years. The document also records that the Madras High Court had stopped implementation of an earlier reduction of the residence requirement from five years to three years while the related case remained pending.
What the document does
The Tamil Nadu Revenue Department issued Government Order (Standing) Number 172 on 23 May 2012. It extends the one-time special scheme for regularising residential occupation of government land and granting house-site pattas for one further year, from 1 October 2011 to 30 September 2012.
The extension was approved because many regularisation cases were still pending and the government intended the scheme to benefit poor people who had been left out of the free house-site programme.
Who may be affected
Government Order (Standing) Number 172 concerns people who had built houses on government land and had lived there for more than five years. It may also affect applicants whose regularisation or patta cases were pending after the previous scheme period ended on 30 September 2011.
The scheme described in the document requires:
- Evidence showing the period of residence.
- Field inspection by a committee headed by the District Collector.
- Resolutions from the relevant local bodies.
- A finding that the land is not required by the government.
The Principal Secretary and Commissioner of Land Administration and all District Collectors were directed to take appropriate action under the extension.
Plot limits and financial provisions
Government Order (Standing) Number 172 recounts earlier changes made specifically for the scheme. Those provisions allowed house-site pattas up to:
- 4 cents in rural areas.
- 2.5 cents in municipal areas.
- 2 cents in corporation areas.
The document also records that the income ceiling for obtaining a free patta had been removed. People who had previously paid land cost and received pattas under the scheme were to receive a refund after proper examination.
Residence period and court proceedings
Government Order (Standing) Number 172 applies the scheme to people who had occupied government land residentially for more than five years. An earlier government order had attempted to reduce that period from five years to three years.
The document records that, in a case filed by the Sivakasi Area Tax Payers Association, the Madras High Court directed that the three-year reduction should not be implemented until the case was decided. It also states that the government was separately taking steps to have that direction removed. No later outcome is given in the document.
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Common questions
Until what date was the house-site patta scheme extended?
Government Order (Standing) Number 172 extended the scheme from 1 October 2011 to 30 September 2012.
Does living on government land automatically qualify me for a patta?
No. The document requires evidence of residence, field inspection, local body resolutions and confirmation that the land is not required by the government.
Is three years of residence enough under this extension?
The extension refers to people who had built houses and lived on government land for more than five years. The document says the Madras High Court had stopped implementation of an earlier reduction from five years to three years while the case was pending.
Who was responsible for processing cases under the extended scheme?
The Principal Secretary and Commissioner of Land Administration and all District Collectors were asked to take appropriate action. Field inspection was to be carried out by a committee headed by the District Collector.
