Thiruvananthapuam: Landowners will have to pay the government for the digital resurvey that began more than a month ago.
The Kerala government has accorded sanction to realise the amount spent for resurvey from private landowners. It will be realised along with the land tax after the survey directorate hands over the resurvey records to the revenue department.
Survey officials will record the expenses incurred on marking the land for survey, planting border stones, and clearing bushes to facilitate the survey in the demand register.
A specific amount will be fixed based on the expanse of the land, and the landowner will be charged accordingly.
Section 7 of the Kerala Survey and Boundaries Act, 1961, allows the government to carry out the survey on its expense and once the survey records are handed over to the revenue department, the landowner can be asked to pay the survey expenses along with the land tax.
Last month, the survey director sought the permission to realise the amount from landowners, and the land revenue commissioner gave a favourable report.
The government gave its approval based on the commissioner's report.
The digital survey, which began on November 1, is designed to cover 1,550 villages in four years at an estimated cost of Rs 858.42 crore.
The survey and land records directorate was provided Rs 438.46 crore from the Rebuild Kerala Initiative for carrying out the first phase, which is currently on.
The directorate will survey 400 villages each in the first three years, followed by 350 villages in the fourth year.
