Tamil Nadu: Disaster Warning System To Be Modernised, Land Acquisition For Roads To Be Easier
With the support of the equipment, hydro-meteorological and geological monitoring would be strengthened: Revenue minister K.A. Sengottaiyan
CHENNAI: Revenue minister K.A. Sengottaiyan on Monday said the number of official layers for granting certificates by the department would be reduced to three, to provide them within the time period stipulated by the government. He also announced that the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001, would be amended to simplify land acquisition works.
Replying to the discussion on demand for grants for the ministry in the Assembly, the minister said certificates for income, residence and community are being given by the revenue department. Some of the applications for the certificates come under the examination and consideration of four layers of officials, including village administrative officer (VAO), revenue inspector, deputy tahsildar and tahsildar.
The government wants all the essential services for the people to be delivered within a stipulated time, he said, and announced the simplification of the procedure with three layers of official examination. Once the VAO and revenue inspector had examined, it is sufficient if the deputy tahsildar or tahsildar (one of them) examined the application.
The real-time data acquisition system, functioning now, would be converted to an integrated multi-hazard early warning system by providing automatic rain gauges, automatic weather stations, landslide monitoring sensors, disaster warning announcement system and lightning detection sensors.
With the support of the equipment, hydro-meteorological and geological monitoring would be strengthened, he said. A landslide risk assessment, monitoring and early warning system would be formed to monitor and warn about landslides.
The process of getting administrative sanction for land acquisition to lay roads, estimating their value and providing compensation would be simplified by amending the Tamil Nadu Highways Act, 2001, he said.
Sengottaiyan announced the formation of mini-taluk officers in 12 places in Chennai so that people could get the certificates without travelling for long distances. The land tax collection carried out from 1436 would be cancelled, he said.
The minister announced that the government would provide tablet devices to 12,466 VAOs and 1,253 revenue inspectors at a cost of Rs. 68 crore. This would help them assess crop losses of farmers during natural disasters and provide relief without resorting to paperwork.
He announced a special scheme for providing land pattas to 20 lakh eligible poor people who have built their houses in village natham lands, adding a special programme would be taken up for the correction of computer records on land registration. The surveyors would be provided DGPS Rovers at an estimated cost of Rs. 136 crores to provide the services related to land survey.
Sengottaiyan said 1,500 persons would be trained on land survey to survey the land quickly and provide natham patta and patta transfers to people.
He also announced the formation of multi-nodal protection centres for senior citizens and differently-abled people at a budget of Rs. 25 crores.