Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has plans to initiate a process for conversion of the existing lease-hold lands into free-hold in Twin City, the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) Minister Pratap Jena said Tuesday afternoon while briefing mediapersons here.
After taking a concrete shape and finally getting the state Cabinet’s approval, the new law will certainly bring relief to thousands of leased landholders living under Cuttack Development Authority (CDA) and Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) limits, Jena stated.
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“We will carry out extensive surveys for the purpose in CDA and BDA limits. Moreover, we will thoroughly study the respective reports prior to taking a decision in this regard. We will also be examining the need for free-holding of lands under the authorities like Housing Board, Revenue and GA in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur, Berhampur and other places of Odisha,” the H&UD Minister Jena informed.
A nominal fee collected from the landholders will be utilised for the development of infrastructure in urban areas, Jena expressed.
It is pertinent to mention, the lease-hold property owners, particularly under Cuttack civic area, have long been demanding to convert the lands to freehold. It is said that lease-holders of the lands in the state stand unable to avail bank loans for constructing houses.
Lease-holders now enjoy heritable succession rights. Sale and transfer process will be simplified after a new law is introduced and obtaining any permission from the lessors will no more be required.
PNN