Environmental organisation flags dilution of safeguards in rules regarding conversion of agricultural land in T.N.

Environmental organisation Poovulagin Nanbargal has raised concerns over the latest amendments to the rules governing the conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes in Tamil Nadu.

It said that the changes could weaken the scrutiny involved in approving such conversions.

The organisation said in a statement that the government had been taking steps to simplify the procedures for converting agricultural land. It questioned the removal of the earlier requirement for the District Collector to personally inspect the land and examine various factors before granting approval.

The concerns follow the State government’s latest amendments to the Tamil Nadu Change of Land Use (From Agriculture to Non-agriculture Purposes in Non-planning Areas) Rules, 2017, issued through a G.O. by the Housing and Urban Development Department on Wednesday.

Under the amended rules, applications for developing wetlands for non-agricultural purposes must be submitted through the Single Window Portal, along with several documents. These include copies of the sale or lease deed, patta, site drainage plan, site plan, and proposed layout, subdivision or building plan.

Applicants must also upload a topographic plan showing existing developments within a 500-metre radius; an online affidavit stating that no government, poromboke or third-party land has been included in the proposal; and copies of the chitta and adangal records for the past three Fasli years, including the current year.

The amended Rule 4 requires the Director of Town and Country Planning to obtain No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the Revenue Divisional Officer, Joint Director of Agriculture, and Executive Engineer of the Water Resources Department in cases involving wetlands.

Poovulagin Nanbargal said the revised process appeared to place greater reliance on applicants uploading documents and submitting self-attested declarations, which, it said, was not acceptable.

While the amendments mandate NOCs from the three departments, the organisation said there was insufficient clarity about which officials would conduct physical inspections of the land.

It also criticised what it termed the government’s haste to make agricultural lands available to private players in the name of industrial development.