Glossary
Arunachal Pradesh land & survey glossary
Plain-language meanings for the words on your Land Possession Certificate (LPC) and village / plot sketch, what each one is, and which of them you actually need before joining your sheets.
12 terms
- Land Possession CertificateLPC
- The document that records an individual's holding under the Arunachal Pradesh (Land Settlement and Records) Act, 2000: holder, plot, area and boundaries, usually with a sketch. It is the state's closest equivalent to a record of rights, and since 2018 the basis on which ownership rights can be conferred.
- Arunachal Pradesh (Land Settlement and Records) Act, 2000
- The state law for land revenue administration across Arunachal Pradesh, written to incorporate customary rights in land. It is the law under which holdings are surveyed, recorded and evidenced by the LPC.
- Ownership rights (2018 amendment)
- The 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. It makes a valid possession document, such as an LPC, the basis for ownership.
- Community land
- Land held by a village or community under its tribe's customary law, such as forest, grazing and shifting cultivation land. It belongs to the community as a whole, so no one member can treat it as their own to sell.
- Clan land
- Land held by a clan under customary law and used by its families according to the clan's rules. Dividing or transferring it generally involves the clan, not only the family occupying it.
- Gaon BuraGB
- A village headman recognised by the government, who represents the village and settles local matters under customary law. The Gaon Bura is usually asked to confirm who holds a plot when an LPC is applied for.
- Kebang
- The traditional village council of the Adi, which settles disputes, including over land, under Adi customary law. Other tribes have their own councils; the Kebang is the best known.
- Circle
- The administrative and revenue unit below the district, headed by a Circle Officer or a more senior officer, and the unit people locate a village by. Land records, LPC applications and plot surveys are handled circle by circle.
- Circle OfficerCO
- The officer in charge of a circle's administration and land records, under the Deputy Commissioner. Where a circle is headed by an EAC, SDO or ADC, that officer plays the role. It is the first office to ask about an LPC or a plot sketch.
- Land allotment
- The grant of a plot in a township or on government land by order of the Deputy Commissioner's office, usually with a sketch and conditions on use and transfer. It is a separate route from the LPC, which records customary holdings.
- APST certificate
- The certificate showing that a person belongs to a Scheduled Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. Land ownership in the state is essentially confined to its indigenous tribal people, so it comes up whenever the question is who may hold land.
- Plot sketch
- The drawing prepared with an LPC or a land allotment, showing the plot's shape, measurements and neighbours. There is no state-wide cadastral map, so these sketches are the maps, and a family's land spans several of them.