State Government Converts Khalsa and Temple Lands in Marathwada to Class One

The State Government has decided to reclassify Class II Inam and Devasthan lands in the Marathwada Division to Class I. This long-awaited decision will provide relief to lakhs of citizens and return these lands to their original owners. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered that this proposal be presented at the next state cabinet meeting, aiming to resolve an issue that has been pending for 60 years. This decision mirrors a similar one made by Chief Minister Fadnavis for Vidarbha, which benefited lakhs of farmers.

Marathwada has faced various problems concerning these lands across its eight districts. In a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis, a decision was made to unify these Khalsa lands. Revenue Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil played a significant role in this initiative.

Approximately 13,803 hectares of relief land exist in Marathwada. In 2015, the government set a 50 percent transfer fee for converting Madtmash Inam land to Class I. However, this high fee led to little interest in regularizing these transfers. Many representatives from Marathwada have since demanded a reduction in this fee. In the meeting, Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis directed that the market value rate for transferring Najul lands should be reduced to 5 percent, similar to previous government decisions.

Marathwada also has approximately 42,710 hectares of Khidmatmash land, which has seen encroachments and illegal constructions. To address this, Fadnavis proposed a 100 percent rate for regularizing the transfer of Khidmatmash Inam land. A suitable proposal will be presented to the cabinet for immediate decision.

The funds generated from these transfers will be allocated as follows: 40 percent for the permanent maintenance of temples, 20 percent to the temple’s archakas, and the remaining 40 percent to the government. These decisions are expected to resolve the longstanding land issues for the common citizens of Marathwada, affecting approximately 55,000 hectares of land in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Parbhani, Nanded, Hingoli, Beed, Latur, and Dharashiv districts.

MP Ashok Chavan, Suresh Dhas, Rana Jagjitsinh Patil, Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department Rajesh Kumar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Divisional Commissioner Dilip Gawde, and Deputy Chief Minister’s Secretary Dr. Shrikar Pardeshi were present at the meeting.