Kolkata: People checking land records before buying a plot, verifying property details or dealing with land-related paperwork in Bengal may find it easier to identify their plots’ broad categories after the state segregates existing plot classifications under 16 heads and introduces a separate ‘Supra Category’ column in the Record of Rights (RoR).The proposed changes, outlined in a recent circular issued by the Directorate of Land Records & Surveys and the Joint Land Reforms Commissioner, aim at standardising land classification and make information more accessible through the state’s digitised land records system. The computerised land database and e-Bhuchitra software of the land department will be modified to incorporate the new framework.For people dealing with land transactions or record verification, the additional column is expected to offer a clearer picture of the broad classification of a plot. But it should not be mistaken for a change in the plot’s legal status: the new Supra Category will not, by itself, alter ownership, plot area or land-use rights, nor will it authorise a change in the use of the property.Under the proposed arrangement, the existing classification of a plot will remain unchanged in the RoR, while a new column will show its broader category. This is expected to help landholders and officials understand how a plot is classified without having to rely solely on the existing, often traditional, land descriptions.The 16 broad categories are Industrial, commercial, agricultural, agri-allied, water body, public utility, institutional, orchard, religious, residential, forest, river, fallow land, ground/field, tea plantation and others. For instance, traditional classifications such as Shali, Shuna, Danga, Aus and Aman will be grouped under agricultural. Bastu land, houses, buildings, townships, housing complexes, quarters and hostels will come under residential. Rice mills, cold storage, factories, crushers, sawmills and industrial parks will be classified as industrial. Schools, colleges, hospitals, libraries, post offices, railway stations, power stations and police stations will fall under institutional, while roads, bridges, bus stands, parks, cremation grounds, burial grounds and dumping grounds will be grouped under public utility. Ponds, lakes, canals, wetlands, jhora, nayanjuli will come under water body.The circular allows district-level land records authorities, including district land and land reforms officers (DL&LROs), to propose changes, corrections, additions or deletions to the classification framework.A senior Nabanna official said Niti Aayog advocated this measure, citing its necessity for industrial growth and land policy in the state. “It is a step in the long series of backend reforms, which is essential in making land transaction a reality. It will be helpful for industry and real estate industry’s dealing with land,” former IAS officer Debashis Sen said.
