Maharashtra to give land ownership rights to refugees, educational institutions
* Final decision after receiving report of committee under Chief Secretary, says Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse * Local bodies to be empowered to issue NA permissions Staff Reporter Eknath Khadse, Revenue and Agriculture Minister, told the Legislative Assembly on Monday that the Government would regularise encroachments on private, Gunthewari, or agricultural land. Also, he said, land ownership rights would be granted to refugees, educational institutions, project-affected persons, co-operative societies, and freedom fighters. Khadse was replying to a debate on supplementary demands pertaining to his departments. In the State, 2.50 lakh houses are located on encroached land. These and encroachments on private or reserved lands, barring the grazing grounds, will be regularised. For the purpose, a law will be enacted. The only condition is that the encroachments should not be on Government lands or encroachments should not come in the way of any infrastructure development...