Set land record of schools ‘right’: UDH

Department of Urban Development and Housing has sought list of schools in urban areas holding land in excess to the limit prescribed in policy for land allotment in urban areas. The department order seeking the details of land holding by schools states that ‘action will be taken in accordance to norms’ once the list is compounded. 

Department officials though hold that the order is confined to ‘government schools only’ and to ‘set right the land records.’

“There are numerous government schools in urban areas that have been utilizing adjoining public land for various purpose. The land, however, continues to show as public land in the records and causes confusion,” says a senior urban development officer.  The issue was raised by the Jodhpur Development Authority ahead of the urban development department. As the department seeks list of such schools from the Jodhpur authority, other urban bodies will also have to seek the record.“Schools that have their justified title to land are not to be part of the list, it is for the schools that hold land in excess of their allotment,” says an officer at Jodhpur Development Authority. 

Rajasthan government in year 2015 approved ‘Policy for allotment of land for different objects in urban areas of Rajasthan’ which prescribes limit of concessional land to be allotted for various government and non-profit organisations.Various concessions in allotment rate and other charges are applicable for the prescribed limit only. Thus the scope of the recent order of urban development department also expands to include schools and other institutes run by such organisations. 

Meanwhile, in order to ease the process, the department has amended the need for the application land to be signed by‘department head’ with the‘highest officer at district/division’ concerned.