Maharashtra Government has eased the process of obtaining Non-Agricultural (NA) permission regarding land purchase. Now, people don’t have to wait for long; also, they won’t have to go to two offices, approach two different agencies for this procedure. There is a provision in Section 42 of Maharashtra Land Revenue code, 1966 that no agricultural land can be used for non-agricultural purposes without the permission of District Collector concerned and, as per Section 44, a 90-day time limit has been stipulated for taking decision on applications received for conversion of land use for non-agricultural purposes. It also stipulates the procedure to be followed for the same.

However, a general public perception is that delay occurs in getting permission for NA uses at the Regional level under Section 42 and 44 of Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966. People first have to obtain Sanad of NA and then get permission as per the provisions of Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Rule, 1966. Citizens have to apply first to the Collector and then to Regional Town Planner to get the sanction.

Now, the Government is going to use Building Plan Management System (BPMS), where the department will accept the conversion tax, and issue Sanad. The Revenue Officer after getting the payment, will clear the NA proposal. This certification will make BPMS to release Development permission automatically. The same will be done electronically. This will prevent malpractices in land dealings where people often used to do NA of the same land twice. Earlier, developers needed to visit various offices to get NA permission and also wait for a long time. Now, there is no need for dual permission.

 CREDAI Maharashtra Vice President Mahesh Sadhwani said, “Real Estate developers were suffering as they needed to seek many permissions after purchasing the land. In some cases, the process used to take even more than one year for starting the construction even after land acquisition. Our Association is thankful to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as this decision will speed up the process.” An important feature of the new system is digital updation of revenue records. It will prevent unnecessary visits to multiple offices. It will help in faster completion of the construction projects.