No mutation fee on inherited land

Kolkata: The state Cabinet on Thursday decided to waive off the mutation fees for those who will be inheriting land from their predecessor.

"In the existing process when somebody inherits land from his predecessor he/she has to pay mutation fees for it. We have decided to waive the mutation fees. The other formalities for inheriting the land will be as usual," said Chandrima Bhattacharya, minister of state for Land and Land Reforms.

Bhattacharya said the fee was a 'double charge' as the current owner had to pay a fee on the land, which was already bought by his predecessor.

"The move will of immense benefit for the common people," she said.

Bhattacharya also announced that the existing app 'Bhumi Bangla' of the department will shortly be developed into a new app incorporating all the details pertaining to land. The new app will be named Jamir Katha.

"This initiative will make the process of buying and selling of land much easier," she said.

"The status of land, the fee details, the exact location of the land, whether there is any dispute or litigation connected with the land and other requisite details can be accessed through the app.

"Our government under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee has already waived off the mutation fees for the farmers so that the purchase and selling of farmland becomes easier," a senior official of the department said.

It may be mentioned that the Mamata Banerjee government has already made the land mutation process online.

People now no longer have to go to the BLRO office for the process of land mutation. Buying and selling of land have become easier and faster.

Mutation is inevitable after buying and selling of the land but there have been complaints of people being harassed by the brokers. The online mutation is expected to bring down the number of such complaints.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation will also house block land and land reforms offices (BLLRO) from April to make the process of mutation of land easier on the fringes. Residents of the wards from 101 to 144 — covering Jadavpur, Behala, Garden Reach, Joka and parts of Kasba, will benefit from the move. From April 1, the no-objection certificates needed from the office of BLLRO will be available at civic offices.

This apart, the state Cabinet also decided to allocate 50 acres at Birbhum to West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd for setting up a solar unit.