Verify records before mutation to protect govt land: Minister

Patna: In a bid to protect govt land from fraud, the revenue and land reforms department has made it mandatory for district magistrates (DMs) to instruct circle officers (COs) to verify the relevant ‘jamabandi’ (land records) against the list of govt land records before processing any person’s mutation application.The objective is to eliminate the possibility of erroneous ‘jamabandi’ entries being created for govt land and to ensure the effective protection of govt assets, minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal said on Monday.He said the state govt is committed to safeguarding its land. The risk of incorrect ‘jamabandi’ entries on govt land persists because records related to govt land are not properly cross-verified during the mutation process, he said.

“A clear departmental mechanism has now been implemented to eliminate the possibility of such lapses,” he added.The minister said the department has already put in place the necessary technical provisions within the ‘e-Jamabandi’ module of the ‘BiharBhumi’ portal for the digitisation, data entry, and verification of govt land. A list of ‘jamabandis’ pertaining to all govt lands —identified on the basis of ‘khatiyan’ (record of rights) and the govt land register—has been made available in the login accounts of circle officers (COs) in the blocks.

“This facilitates the online verification and cross-checking of the land in question before any mutation application is processed,” Jaiswal said.He mentioned that a departmental review revealed that, in some locations, records related to govt land were not being regularly cross-verified during mutation proceedings. “Viewing this seriously, instructions have been issued to all the DMs to direct circle officers to process mutation applications only after verifying and cross-checking them against the available list of govt lands,” he said.Jaiswal emphasised that the digitisation of land records and the online verification system implemented through the ‘BiharBhumi’ portal will not only ensure the security of govt land but also safeguard the interests of ordinary citizens.