Nagpur, Dec 9 (PTI) The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed an amendment bill that seeks to ease restrictions on subdivision of small land plots in urban areas with the government saying
the legislation will benefit nearly three crore residents.
The Maharashtra Land Revenue Code (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025, was presented by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and passed in the lower house after a debate.
He told the house the legislative measure will benefit nearly 60 lakh families, or about three crore residents, living on small 'gunthewari' plots (unauthorised division of agri land into smaller parcels for residential use) in cities.
With the amendment, buying and selling of small plots will become simpler, and landowners could now have their names recorded independently in the 7/12 land title document.
The requirement for repeated Non-Agricultural (NA) permissions from district collectors was removed in areas where a development plan or regional plan was already approved. Instead, owners could complete the process by paying a one-time premium.
Several members participated in the discussion during which Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav claimed the amendment could benefit builders more than ordinary citizens, an assertion contested by Bawankule.
Vijay Wadettiwar (Congress) said planning norms, including nine-metre roads and proper drainage must be ensured.
Some MLAs, including Chandradeep Narke, Vikram Pachpute and Ramesh Bornare, demanded that similar provisions be extended to rural areas where small holdings still faced transaction hurdles.
Replying to the debate, Bawankule insisted the bill was not meant to help builders, but framed to give legal ownership rights to families already living on small land parcels.
He said the amendment would not affect existing reservations and clarified that new plot subdivision would not be allowed after October 15, 2024.
The minister asked district collectors to work with elected representatives to ensure proper implementation of the bill's provisions. PTI ND RSY
