New state rules bar land-use conversion for agricultural plots of five guntas or less, closing a loophole that let landowners split farmland into unauthorised revenue sites.
In a significant move aimed at curbing the misuse of agricultural land and preventing the proliferation of unauthorised revenue sites, the Karnataka government has prohibited land-use conversion for agricultural plots measuring five guntas or less. The decision comes after authorities identified repeated misuse of family partition provisions and irregular land documentation practices that allowed small agricultural parcels to be converted and sold for non-agricultural purposes.
In a circular issued last month, the land survey department directed all deputy commissioners to carefully identify such small agricultural plots whenever applications for land-use conversion are received. If the land parcel measures five guntas or less, officials have been instructed not to permit conversion and instead return the file to the deputy directors of land records for further action.
The government's action follows growing concern over a pattern in which landowners divide larger agricultural holdings into multiple smaller parcels — often below five guntas — so that they can be easily registered and later sold as revenue sites at a profit. In many such cases, landowners subsequently applied for conversion of these small plots from agricultural to non-agricultural use, paving the way for informal or unauthorised residential layouts.
Officials say the new restriction is intended to stop this practice at its source. By disallowing conversion for plots of five guntas or less, the government aims to preserve agricultural land, discourage fragmentation for speculative purposes and improve the integrity of land administration in the state.
The circular also focuses on the misuse of the 11E sketch, a key land document used in agricultural property transactions. An 11E sketch is a mandatory pre-mutation document that marks the exact boundary of a portion of agricultural land being sold, gifted or divided. Under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964, a landowner is allowed to obtain an 11E sketch for a plot below five guntas only once, and that too in the case of partition among family members.
However, officials found that in many instances landowners were obtaining multiple 11E sketches for the same or related parcels, effectively using the provision to repeatedly split agricultural land into small saleable portions. This practice not only undermined the original intent of the law but also facilitated the creation of fragmented plots that could later be marketed as residential sites.
To address this, the circular has directed the land documents division to initiate suo motu proceedings wherever such misuse is detected. If officials find that multiple 11E sketches have been obtained in violation of the rules, they have been instructed to cancel those sketches. This is expected to help close loopholes that have been used to bypass land regulations and create unauthorised layouts in peri-urban and rural areas.
The circular also carries a strong warning to officials. Authorities have made it clear that any failure to comply with the new instructions may invite disciplinary action. This indicates that the government is treating the issue seriously and wants strict enforcement at the district and sub-district levels.
The decision could have far-reaching implications for landowners, developers, brokers and buyers dealing in small agricultural plots, particularly in fast-growing peripheral areas where farmland is often informally converted into residential layouts. For genuine family partitions, the legal route under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act will continue to remain available, but the use of such provisions for commercial subdivision and speculative sale is set to face much tighter scrutiny.
From a broader policy perspective, the move is part of Karnataka's effort to safeguard agricultural land, strengthen land record management and prevent unauthorised urban sprawl. The unchecked conversion of farmland into revenue sites has long been a concern in many districts, often resulting in legal disputes, lack of civic infrastructure and complications in title verification for buyers.
By prohibiting conversion of agricultural plots measuring five guntas or less and cracking down on the misuse of 11E sketches, the government is attempting to restore discipline in land transactions and ensure that agricultural land is not fragmented and commercialised through procedural loopholes. Going forward, the effectiveness of the measure will depend on how strictly district authorities implement the circular and monitor land record practices on the ground.
