Families under Rs 3 lakhs per annum income to be granted free house site pattas by TN govt

CHENNAI: In a move that would benefit thousands of struggling families, the state government has announced that it will issue free house site pattas to those earning less than Rs 3 lakhs per year.

According to a report in The Hindu, the initiative aims to provide relief to families in Chennai, Tambaram, and Avadi municipal corporations that have encroached up to one cent of land or the actual area of encroachment, whichever is less.

Also, in other urban areas, including 18 municipal corporations, 138 municipalities, and 490 town panchayats, the permissible limit for free pattas is set at two cents or the actual area of encroachment. Officials also said that the encroachers can retain up to one additional cent by paying the government-fixed value.

Accordingly, the maximum land that can be retained under the scheme would be up to two cents in Chennai, Tambaram, and Avadi and three cents in other urban areas. Similarly, in rural areas, families earning up to Rs 3 lakh per year will be granted free pattas for up to three cents of encroached land.

Authorities said that as many as 86000 people would benefit under the scheme, which would mainly apply to 'unobjectionable poromboke lands' and four categories of objectionable poromboke lands namely cart track, thoppu, kalam, and burial ground.

The main criteria for encroachers to be considered under the scheme is that those in Chennai and surrounding areas must have lived in those houses for at least 10 years, while in other areas, they are required to have lived in the land for at least five years.

Officials have categorically stated that the scheme would strictly apply only for residential purposes, and commercial encroachments will not be considered under it. A senior revenue department official said that they would collect applications from prospective beneficiaries, verify details, conduct surveys, and prepare layout sketches and sub-division records before issuing pattas.