Encumbrance certificate to have actual extent of land acquired

The sub-registrars should enter the details of land acquired along with the information about boundaries and the extent, directed Inspector General of Registration J Kumaragurubaran in a circular issued on Wednesday.

“When the government acquires land, the details will be given in encumbrance certificates. Even though the land acquired is a small part, entire survey number is entered in the encumbrance certificates. This prevents the land owners from selling or mortgaging the property,” the circular said.

Thus, the land owners are aggrieved by the process and they are forced to apply for the correction, the circular noted.

To avoid such problems, Kumaragurubaran directed officials to enter details of the extent of the land acquired, boundaries of the acquired land, in addition to the details of the village and survey number. “If the acquisition official fails to provide details of boundaries and area of the acquired land, the sub-registrars should send letters to the concerned official seeking details,” he said.

The district registrars and deputy inspector general should ensure the adherence to the new circular.

It is learnt that the Registration Department has been maintaining a registry to record details of acquired land following an order by the Madras High Court in 2006, as the details would be useful for the intending purchasers.