Mumbai, Nov. 5 -- The Maharashtra government has decided to regularise all land transactions that occurred over the last 59 years, free of charge. This will allow plot holders, whose transfers were previously deemed irregular, to have their names officially recorded as owners in the 7/12 extract land records. A 7/12 extract is a crucial land record document that proves property ownership. On Tuesday, the state revenue department amended the Maharashtra Prevention of Fragmentation and Consolidation of Holdings (MPFCH) Act by promulgating an ordinance to implement the move. The move has also enabled the regularisation of land transactions between November 15, 1965 and October 15, 2024, confirmed revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. The MPFCH Act prevents agricultural land from being divided into small, uneconomical plots. It prohibits the creation of "fragments" (land parcels below a standard size) and restricts their sale, generally requiring adjacent landowners to purchase them to prevent new fragments. The idea was to consolidate agricultural holdings for improved cultivation. However, with growing urbanisation over time, agricultural land near cities and developed municipal areas was re-zoned for residential, commercial, or industrial use in various draft or final regional plans. This shift in zoning led to numerous land transfers and partitions that contravene the provisions of the Act. While these transactions have occurred in practice, the restrictions imposed by the Act have prevented them from being officially recorded in the land records. "This revolutionary decision enables the regularisation of all land transactions previously conducted in violation of the Act, resolving decades of land-ownership ambiguity. Effective immediately, the MPFCH Act will no longer apply to lands permitted for non-agricultural use," said Bawankule....