The government will provide proper leases to families who bought portions of land from farmers but never received a legal title.

Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has this afternoon tabled in Parliament a Bill to amend the State Lands Act.

The changes will allow the Director of Lands to cancel the original lease to farms where any tenant sold off part of their Crown lease without seeking approval from the government.

Sayed-Khaiyum says the land will then be sub-divided and new leases or titles will be issued.

“The amendment seeks to give the Director of Lands the ability to cancel the head lease and be able to issue separate issues to those people who have been living there since the land was given to them.”

He adds there are families who have lived under this arrangement for up to 40 years and have never been able to build a proper home because they fear being booted out at any time.

The Minister has confirmed the Bill will set-up a new committee comprising the Permanent Secretaries of Land and Housing as well as the Solicitor General to vet all such cases before any new leases or titles can be issued.

No new leases will be issued any land which is under mortgage or any other legal complications.

The amendments will not apply to families living as squatters on any land.