Intro
Periodic land guidance value revision needed to ensure fair compensation, curb illegal transactions
CH NEWS
Bengaluru
Batting for periodic revision of land guidance values, Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said regular updates would help prevent illegal land transactions and ensure fair compensation for farmers whose lands are acquired for development projects.
Responding to a question raised by BJP MLC K. S. Naveen in the Karnataka Legislative Council, the minister said large gaps between official guidance values and prevailing market prices often resulted in irregularities and financial losses for landowners during acquisition.
Gowda pointed out that in several areas the disparity between the guidance value and the market price had widened significantly over the years, leading to unjust compensation for farmers. “Revising the guidance value periodically is the only solution to prevent injustice caused to farmers during land acquisition,” he said.
Earlier, Naveen had questioned whether compensating farmers based on pre-2019 guidance values was causing losses to landowners. He asked the government if awarding compensation during acquisitions based on outdated values deprived farmers of the true market price of their land.
Explaining the existing framework under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, Gowda said the law clearly outlines the procedure for determining compensation. According to the provisions, once a preliminary notification for land acquisition is issued, the guidance value for that land is not revised.
Instead, either the prevailing guidance value or the registered sale deed values from the past three years are taken into consideration. Authorities then calculate the average amount based on the highest transaction value to determine the compensation payable to landowners, the minister explained.
However, Gowda acknowledged that outdated guidance values often place farmers at a disadvantage. “The government acquires land every day for various projects. If guidance values are not revised from time to time, it can cause injustice to farmers,” he said.
The minister added that he had recommended revising guidance values periodically, though such proposals often face opposition from certain quarters.
Highlighting the scale of the discrepancy, Gowda said that in some places the official guidance value of land may be around ₹2 lakh, while the actual market price ranges between ₹70 lakh and ₹80 lakh. Such differences, he noted, also encourage underreporting of transaction values and the use of unaccounted money in property deals.
“Considering all these factors, revising the guidance value regularly is essential not only to ensure justice to farmers but also to curb illegal transactions,” he added.
