In Hyderabad, there is a different type of land title which provides legal ownership of land. Actually, ‘Patta’ in simple terms is a legal document that is usually issued by the government. Lavani Patta is a government asset allotted by the State. The government allots the land for two kinds of people one is for freedom fighters and the other is for the poor, especially the farmers.

How is it different?

Lavani is a type of land title. According to the law, one must be a resident of the village where the proposed land for assignment exists. Also, one can be an agricultural labour or village artisan having an income of less than Rs 11,000 per year. The land is also allotted to ex-service persons, freedom fighters, political sufferers and families affected due to terrorist violence. However, priority is given to the landless poor.

The government allots such type of land to the poor to promote farming activities. We understand that the people living below the poverty line do not have a decent living standard. In such a case, the government provides land for agriculture. In fact, Lavani plot or land is not transferrable, which means once allotted by the government it cannot be sold. “We have come across cases where such type of land (Lavani plot) is sold. The buyers buy plots unknowingly and face the consequences later. These plots are non-transferable,” says Veera Babu, managing director, Cushman & Wakefield, Hyderabad.

In many cases, the government itself uses such land for building infrastructure in the country. For instance, the families of the Ranga Reddy district, Hyderabad, recently demanded compensation from the government when they decided to acquire Lavani Patta land to construct an international airport. The farmers warned that they would oppose the construction of the airport if they were not provided with any sort of rehabilitation packages.

In fact, India was actually a signatory to the displacement and rehabilitation convention of the United Nations. Under this, it has been noted that people who are displaced should be provided legal protection and given rehabilitation package to improve their standard of living. This is the reason why the government provides land to the poor.

In case of freedom fighters, the government allots land but the recipients cannot sell it for 12 years from the date of allotment. After the completion of the tenure, the land can be sold to whosoever. The Patta is once again issued in the name of the new owner of the land. Moreover, the government will sign the Patta with a pre-condition that such type of lands can be sold after its tenure is over (i.e. after 12 years).

Also, ‘Lavani Patta’ is the only type of land title that is not tradable. All other land titles are used for commercial purposes. “In fact, if such Lavani Patta land or plot is sold by brokers, it will be very difficult for buyers to get it registered anywhere in the state. It is a huge loss for property buyers as it is government land and is not for sale,” adds Babu.

How can you obtain it?

The best way to obtain Lavani Patta is through appropriate administrative authority especially the Revenue Department of the State. The Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA) is the chief controlling authority for the revenue administration.

Usually, the Tahsildar is the competent authority to assign the lands. Here, 50 percent land is assigned to Schedule Castes, 10 percent to Schedule Tribe, 30 percent to the backward classes and the rest 10 percent is provided to other categories. In fact, once in every year, 100 percent field inspection needs to be done and the revenue department has the authority to cancel the assignment and resume the land to the government in case of any issues.

The government usually keeps monitoring such type of land as it is their own assets. To get such type of land, one has to contact the village officer, who will then place the request in front of the Revenue Department Officer (RDO). But one thing is clear that Lavani Patta land is not transferable, so, please do not fall for false deals and incur huge losses.

Namrata Kath Hazarika,