Karnataka government mulls eliminating land conversion in planned areas

The state government is planning to do away with conversion of land in urban areas that have a master plan, a significant reform that will strip deputy commissioners of this power and promises to make life easy for citizens.

“Conversion (of land) is one activity that is a cause for a lot of disquiet among people. We’re trying to ease that,” Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda told DH in an interview.

Conversion of land, commonly known as DC conversion as it is done by the deputy commissioners, is seen as a corrupt and cumbersome process.

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The previous BJP government amended the Karnataka Land Revenue Act allowing conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes within seven days, providing some relief.

But Gowda wants to push the envelope further. “Some easing was done during (BJP’s) time. But there’s still a gap between the cup and the lip,” he said.

“What we’re saying is, if there’s a planned area where there’s a master plan, what’s the need for the deputy commissioner to convert the land?” Gowda said.

The minister gave the example of an agricultural land that falls under a residential zone in an urban master plan. “That land gets automatically converted for residential use. You want to form a layout? Apply for a layout approval directly. At present, even if the land is in a residential zone, you have to get it converted. We want to eliminate this step,” Gowda explained.

When Gowda pitched this plan at a meeting to review the Belagavi division, deputy commissioners were okay with it, much to the minister's surprise.

In fact, Gowda had a more radical plan of scrapping conversion of land for good. "We thought of questioning the need for conversion of land across the board," he said. "But we were advised that it's better to try this in areas where there's a master plan or a comprehensive development plan (CDP). Based on that experience, we can think about non-planned areas, which are rural areas."

The revenue department's plan of doing away with conversion will not apply to changing land use. "If you want to move from one zone of the master plan to another, it will require change in land use. That comes under the urban development department," Gowda said.