'AP: Fine for building houses on encroached govt land'

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday said the state cabinet has decided to impose 50 per cent penalty in addition to the existing land premium rate for those who have constructed private houses in encroached government land.

He said for getting land allotment of the encroached government land, the person has to pay an additional penalty amount of Rs 500 besides the existing amount of Rs 1000 per sq metre of land he encroached.

Participating in a short duration discussion raised by NPP Legislature Party Leader Mutchu Mithi on high land premium rate prescribed by the government for land possession in the state, Khandu said that during 2018, the cabinet enhanced the rates of premium which was very less earlier.

"A cabinet sub-committee was constituted on November 14, 2017 with the then Land Management minister as chairman, which made a detailed study and forwarded its recommendation to the government for enhancement of land premium rate," the chief minister said.

Khandu said the state government had divided the land into five zones and accordingly fixed the premiums with maximum Rs 1,000 and minimum Rs 100.

"The respective deputy commissioners of all the districts were entrusted with the job to classify the land in their jurisdiction in prescribed zones. However, there were discrepancies in the classification of land in the districts for which a few districts have to pay more premium in comparison to the state capital," the chief minister added.

Khandu, however, said that the government would write to the Deputy Commissioners to re-visit the classification of the land done and to submit a fresh report to the government.

Earlier, Mithi had urged the government to reframe the laws and reduce the land premium rates while maintaining uniformity.

Khandu assured that the government would soon issue a clear-cut order not to charge any fresh premium on inherited land.

He said the land premium rate is applicable to only government land given on lease to private parties but not for community land or ancestral land properties.