Rising land frauds lead to 'saat-baar' separation!

The unprecedented rise in realty prices and resulting land scams have got the government mulling changes in the most crucial land record document - 7/12 (popularly referred to as saat-baar).

The government is planning to divide the 7/12 copy into two
separate parts.
The 7/1

2 document refers to the revenue record that shows details about ownership of the land, credit facts, type and tenure of the land, irrigation information, number and type of crops sown on the land as well as the measurement of the land parcel.

Revenue minister Anandiben Patel, while speaking at the inaugural function of Nirman 2011 in Ahmedabad on Friday, said the 7/12 document will now be divided. “The copy of 7 will have all the details regarding ownership of the land parcel including name of the person, information about his family members, photographs, and thumb impression among others,” she said.

“The 12 document will  have all the other details,” she said.

The minister said that the amendments are expected to help control the rising land fraud cases in the state.     

The work on this has already begun and will be shortly implemented across the state, she said. Lauding the initiative the developers said such an improvement in records will clearly state who has the first right to a piece of land. It will also clarify other details regarding the land which will help in avoiding fraud. "The 7/12 copy of revenue record has all the details about people having the first and the second right to the land. Many a times, those with second rights claim ownership and sell the land in an illegal way," said Suresh Patel, president of Gujarat Institute of Housing and Estate Developers (Gihed). He said that when both records will be separated the second right owners name will not appear in the copy of 7, so he won't be able to sell the land without the approval of the person who has the first right to it.  Moreover, once separated, the copy of 12 will have clear information about credit taken by mortgaging the land parcel, he said. "The new system will have less interference making it more transparent, so there is less chance of fraud," said NK Patel, managing director of Sun Builders.