Patna: Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue and Land Reforms Minister, Vijay Kumar Sinha, has directed officials to adopt stricter measures to curb rising land disputes in the state, warning against the growing influence of mafia elements who seize land using forged documents.
Speaking at a review meeting on Thursday, Sinha said these unscrupulous actors often harass citizens and even drag cases to court. He called for the immediate formation of a high-level team to investigate such complaints as soon as they are received. “If necessary, a new law will be introduced with the support of the central government to prevent these cases,” he added. Senior officials, including the department’s Principal Secretary, CK Anil, were present at the meeting.
Sinha emphasised the need for a transparent system that facilitates land measurement for tenants while curbing arbitrary actions by Amins, the government land surveyors. He instructed officials to assess the performance of Amins across all zones and submit a report. He also made it mandatory for officials to use the department-prescribed proforma for e-measurement reports.
Addressing difficulties arising from old land documents written in Kaithi script, the Deputy Chief Minister ordered the creation of district-wise panels of Kaithi script experts, with their details displayed in zonal offices and widely publicised.
Sinha further called for a detailed plan to expand the use of the Bihar Bhoomi Portal and directed all registry offices to inform citizens that applications for mutation must be submitted within 90 days of registration, in a bid to streamline processes for the public.
