Haryana’s 25 lakh families to get ownership rights as Abadi Deh Bill cleared

In a first in Haryana’s history, nearly 25 lakh families occupying land in ‘abadi deh’ areas — land falling within a village’s ‘lal dora’ — are set to get ownership rights following the passage of the Haryana Abadi Deh (Vesting, Recording and Resolving of Ownership Rights) Bill, 2025, by the state Assembly on the final day of its winter session today.

Revolutionary step

It is a long-awaited initiative for the welfare of the people. The new law will go a long way in providing ease of living to village residents. It will help upgrade civic services and integrate villages with planned urban development.

— Vipul Goel, revenue and disaster management minister

Seven other Bills passed

Haryana Appropriation (No. 4) Bill, 2025

Haryana Technical Education Guest Faculty (Security of Service) Amendment Bill, 2025

Haryana Housing Board (Amendment) Bill, 2025

Haryana Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2025

Haryana Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2025

Haryana Scheduled Roads and Controlled Areas Restriction of Unregulated Development (Amendment) Bill, 2025

Haryana Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025

The Bill, described as a “revolutionary step” by the Nayab Singh Saini government, seeks to confer legal ownership on long-time occupiers of residential land within village limits, a move expected to significantly improve ease of living and unlock development potential in rural areas.

Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Vipul Goel said the new law would bring villages closer to planned urban development. “It will provide and upgrade civic services and environment in villages to integrate them with planned urban development, levy any cess or tax for community development, enhance land value by improving the layout and provide a road map for development norms for villages in an easy and simple manner. It will also help land occupiers monetise their property by taking financial assistance,” Goel said.

While supporting the legislation, Congress MLA BB Batra cautioned the government against the possible involvement of land mafia and urged it to put in place a strong institutional mechanism to safeguard valuable village land. Responding to the concern, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said the Bill would provide substantial relief to people who have lived for decades without legal ownership of their homes.

The cut-off date for determining eligibility has been fixed as March 8, 2019, coinciding with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Haryana Government and the Survey of India for village surveys and settlement records.

Explaining the intent of the legislation, the government stated: “The object of this Bill is to identify, record and resolve the existing rights of the occupiers within the ‘abadi deh’ by a process of ascertaining the persons best entitled to be recorded as owners and vesting the ownership rights in such persons. It will also accomplish demarcating, delineating the boundaries and areas of each survey unit and create a presumption of truth in the records so prepared.”

The provisions of the law will apply to ‘abadi deh’ areas located outside municipal limits. Ownership rights may be recorded in the name of individuals, panchayats, government bodies, juristic persons or other entities, but will not extend to tenants, lessees, mortgage holders or those without ownership claims.

The Bill also vests civil court–like powers in competent authorities, including the Financial Commissioner, Commissioners, Collectors and Assistant Collectors, while barring civil courts from adjudicating matters arising under its provisions.

The term ‘abadi deh’ refers to land within a village’s ‘lal dora’ — the boundary encompassing houses, buildings and other permanent structures. Land outside the ‘lal dora’ is categorised as agricultural land or as “extended lal dora” (phirni).