Bengaluru: The Revenue Department has released draft rules to amend the Karnataka Land Grant Rules-1969 to lease Government lands for 30 years to farmers who are growing plantation crops unauthorisedly. The Karnataka Land Revenue (Third Amendment) Bill-2022 was passed by the Legislature in December 2022 to allow leasing of Government lands to farmers. Land allotment rules are also being amended to implement this amendment. The rules allow for 30-year lease on Government lands held by farmers who had grown plantation crops illegally before January 1, 2005. A family will be allowed to lease a maximum of 25 acres. The draft rules stipulate that if more land is under unauthorised cultivation, the excess area should be handed over to the Government.
Government lands will be allowed to be leased for a maximum period of 30 years. Lease charges range from ₹ 1,000 to ₹ 3,500 per acre per year. In case of death of the leased farmer, only his family members are allowed to continue the lease. However no sub-leasing is allowed. Only plantation crops should be grown on leased land. The draft also states that trees on such lands are treated as Government assets. No loan from any bank or financial institution is allowed on the basis of leased lands.
Eligible families will have to apply to the Taluk Tahasildar after the amended rules come into effect. The Tahasildar should verify the application and send it to the Deputy Commissioner along with appropriate documents. The DC shall take a decision to grant or reject the land within three months from the date of receipt of the applications. In the rules, if the DC issues an order for land allotment, the Tahasildar should issue a lease agreement letter to the farmers.
There are thousands of hectares of Government land being cultivated by farmers in Kodagu, Hassan, Chikkmagaluru, and Dakshina Kannada Districts since many decades. The farmers associations welcomed the decision of State Government.