Mumbai: The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday cleared a proposal to convert class II land of more than one lakh acres in Marathwada into freehold, making the occupants complete owners.
Nearly 1.4 lakh acres of land in Marathwada, comprising eight districts, was classified as class II. The class II status was a hurdle for occupants wishing to develop these areas, a government official said.
Class II occupancy is a conditional holding where land is given to individuals for various reasons, including as rewards and to religious structures for their maintenance. The demand to convert the land to freehold is nearly 60 years old, he said. The cabinet's resolution to convert this land into freehold will have a positive impact on the current occupants, he said, adding that the occupants will have to remit a certain amount to the state government to effect the transition.
According to officials, the cabinet has also approved a revised budget of Rs 37,000 crore for the construction of 6,000 km of roads and has opted for the use of concrete. It has also extended the deadline for power looms to apply for concessions in power tariffs to March 2025, they said.
