Patna: The Bihar government has said the statewide land survey and record correction exercise will continue within the scheduled timeline even in cases where family land partitions have not been formally completed.
Officials stated that if land has not been divided among family members, the survey records will continue to remain registered under the names of the ancestors in whose names the land is currently recorded.
The Revenue and Land Reforms Department said the survey process would not be halted under any circumstances and that pending work would be completed through a dedicated campaign mode before the end of 2027.
Government Plans To Use AI For Land Identification
The department also announced plans to deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to identify and demarcate government-owned land.
Dilip Jaiswal said the government had received clear directions from Samrat Chaudhary to complete the land survey and record rectification process across the state in a time-bound manner.
“The Chief Minister has issued explicit directives to ensure that the land survey and record-rectification processes across Bihar are completed with utmost urgency,” the Minister said.
He added that strict disciplinary action would be taken against officials found negligent in carrying out survey-related work.
Land Disputes Linked To Crime, Says Department
Officials said land disputes remained one of the leading causes of violent crime and homicide in Bihar.
The department argued that transparent and accurate land records were essential to reducing such conflicts and improving administrative efficiency.
Authorities said additional officers and staff could be deployed if necessary to ensure completion of the survey exercise within the deadline.
Records Missing In Around 8,000 Villages
One of the major challenges facing the survey process is the absence of cadastral records, or khatians, in nearly 8,000 of Bihar’s approximately 45,000 villages.
To address the issue, the government has begun:
- issuing public advertisements seeking historical land records
- requiring landowners to submit self-declared land details
- digitising available records
Officials said Circle Officers had also been instructed not to take independent action regarding Khas Mahal lands, with such cases to be handled only by senior authorities.
Revenue Staff To Work Extended Hours
The department said additional working hours had been introduced to compensate for delays caused by the recent three-month strike by revenue employees and to clear a large backlog of pending applications at Circle Offices.
Revenue personnel will now work:
- from 6am to 9am
- and again from 7pm to 10pm
Officials said the move was intended to accelerate survey operations and pending land-related services.
Land Records To Be Available Online Only
In an effort to reduce disputes and improve transparency, the Revenue Department has decided that land records will now be made available exclusively through online channels.
Authorities said offline issuance of land records would no longer be permitted.
Officials believe the combined use of:
- digitisation
- AI technology
- online record systems
- intensified field operations
could help modernise Bihar’s land administration system and reduce long-standing disputes linked to ownership and documentation.
