G.O.(1D) No.103, Revenue Follow-up Work in Resurveyed Areas

What the document governs

Government Order (1D) Number 103, dated 1 March 2007, issued by the Tamil Nadu Revenue Department, requires the annexed English and Tamil notification to be published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette. The Assistant Settlement Officer (South) and Assistant Settlement Officer (North) must undertake revenue follow-up work within their respective Corporation areas, excluding old Chennai City, and Municipal towns, under the overall supervision of the Settlement Officer, Chennai.

The main purpose is to update the revenue registry after resurvey in the metric system.

Land classification

The revenue follow-up notification requires land to be recorded according to its ownership and actual use. Key classifications include:

• Private holdings in Corporation or Municipal town sites, and agricultural land set apart for housing, as Manai.
• Government vacant sites readily available for house site assignment, as vacant site poramboke.
• Roads, streets, pathways, channels, hospitals, bus stands, water tanks, public wells and other public properties according to their actual use.
• Land belonging to temples, churches, mosques, schools, playgrounds, parks and similar institutions under the appropriate description.
• Agricultural land used for non-agricultural purposes according to individual holdings.
• Conditional assignments, temporary pattas, Ground Rent pattas and land covered by Urban Land Tax under their applicable existing status.

Inspection and rough patta process

The revenue follow-up scheme requires field staff to inspect every field and record ownership after enquiry. A Settlement Deputy Tahsildar or higher official must conduct a further inspection, and the Assistant Settlement Officer must overcheck ten percent of cases.

Important procedures include:

• Eligible holdings may be subdivided and pattas issued, including recognised house site pattas and patta land used for non-agricultural purposes.
• The Settlement Tahsildar must issue notice and hold a hearing for each holding.
• If no assignment order exists, ownership may be decided using oral or documentary evidence of enjoyment for thirty years before Gazette publication of the notification.
• A rough patta must show survey details, classification, area and ground rent due.
• Non-resident holders must arrange to obtain the rough patta from the concerned Village Administrative Officer.

Objections, appeals and corrections

The rough patta objection hearing must be scheduled at least fifteen days after service. Objections concern entries or omissions, and delayed objections may be accepted only if the delay is satisfactorily explained.

An appeal against the Settlement Tahsildar's decision may be made to the Assistant Settlement Officer within thirty days. A further appeal may be made to the Settlement Officer, Chennai, within sixty days, followed by revision to the Director of Survey and Settlement within sixty days. Clerical errors may be corrected during or after the work with the required approvals.