How to read an Arunachal Pradesh Land Possession Certificate (LPC)
What an LPC records, how the 2018 amendment tied it to ownership, how it differs from a land allotment, and what customary land and the Gaon Bura have to do with it.
In Arunachal Pradesh, the document that records an individual's land is the Land Possession Certificate, the LPC, issued under the Arunachal Pradesh (Land Settlement and Records) Act, 2000. It sits on top of customary tenure rather than replacing it, and it is read with that in mind.
What sits underneath
- Community land
- Held by a village or community under its tribe's customary law: forest, grazing and shifting cultivation land.
- Clan land
- Held by a clan and used by its families under the clan's rules.
- Individual holding
- A plot a person or family holds, which is what an LPC records.
What to check on an LPC
- The holder's name, and the district, circle and village.
- The area and the boundaries, usually given by neighbours and features as well as measurements.
- The sketch, and whether it matches the ground and the neighbours' sketches.
- Who issued it: the competent authority through the circle and the Deputy Commissioner's office.
From possession to ownership
The name says possession, and for years that was the limit of it. A 2018 amendment to the 2000 Act added a provision that a person holding a valid land possession document from the competent authority, for land outside notified forest, is entitled to be conferred ownership rights on the terms the government prescribes. So an LPC is now the basis for ownership, and land inside notified forest stands on a different footing.
LPC or allotment
In townships and on government land, plots are given by an allotment order from the Deputy Commissioner's office, usually with conditions on use and transfer. That is a different document from an LPC. Read which one you have before treating a plot as freely transferable.
From the certificate to the map
An LPC records one plot. What a family's land looks like as a whole, and whether two certificates agree about a shared boundary, comes from joining their sketches on one canvas.
🔗 Arunachal Pradesh land and customary tenure glossary →Frequently asked questions
Does an LPC give ownership of the land?+
Since the 2018 amendment to the 2000 Act, a valid land possession document for land outside notified forest is the basis on which ownership rights can be conferred, on terms the government prescribes. Ask the circle office where your plot stands.
What is the difference between an LPC and a land allotment?+
An LPC records an individual's customary holding. A land allotment is a grant of a plot, usually in a township or on government land, by order of the Deputy Commissioner's office, often with conditions on use and transfer.
Who confirms a claim when an LPC is applied for?+
The village usually does, often through the Gaon Bura, and the plot is surveyed by the circle's staff. Ask the circle office what it needs in your area.