Land Survey turns expensive: For good or bad?

For property owners across Karnataka, laying their hands on a land survey report is a point de-rigueur for every future transaction, and the state government has taken a latest initiative towards it. The government has proposed a number of land surveyors in the state with effect from May 2014, however, the move will manifold the survey cost by two to eight times.

According to the revenue department officials, the ascending revision of the fee has been in accordance with demand prevailing for licensed surveyors. Paying the revised fee may not be a problem for a farmer, however, for those who are categorized under the BPL group, putting up with the increased survey cost will definitely take a toll on their finances.

The revision

In the recent past, getting the survey reports for any property would cost Rs 600 to a farmer, out of which the licensed surveyors were entitled to Rs 300 and the rest to government. But, with the revised fee structure the surveyors will brim their bank balance by Rs 800 per application, since the total fee for 2 acres has stood at Rs 1500.

According to land revenue department officials, a farmer will feel the pocket crunch of Rs 2000 for 1-2 acres and Rs 2500 for 20 guntas-1 crore. In both rural and urban areas, the fee was fixed at Rs 300 earlier, however, with the government proposal the land survey fee structure will undergo a major makeover.

Importance of land surveyors

For every transaction involving the land, producing the survey report is a must for a property owner. The report is also of great importance for raising bank loans. A land survey report throws light on certain important aspects of a property, namely:
the land size
the location of various public improvements adjacent to the property like fences, buildings, pools etc.
the location of the land relative to surrounding geographical features and roads
the physical characteristics of a property

In recent times, the lack of surveyors has led to a stacking up of 25 lakh applications, pertaining to land inspection. To make matters worse, more than 20000 applications for the mutation are still in cue seeking clearance.

According to property analysts, lack of funds was one of the primary reasons why the government stepped back from recruiting more surveyors in the past. However, with the advent of funds, the number of surveyors has increased incessantly. With the recruitment of 1800 surveyors, the land survey department has filled the crunch for land inspection officials by 3464 surveyors.