Patna: The Bihar government has uncovered property registration tax evasion worth crores of rupees after deploying artificial intelligence to scrutinise land and building documents across the state, officials said.
The findings emerged from an AI-driven document verification exercise conducted around three months ago in multiple districts. The review identified 838 registration documents in which the valuation of land and buildings had allegedly been manipulated to evade stamp duty and registration charges. Based on these cases, the government has ordered the recovery of Rs 31 crore from the concerned property owners.
Calling the matter “extremely serious”, Ajay Yadav, secretary of the registration department, said there were indications of possible collusion by officials in some cases. He has directed all sub-registrars to initiate recovery proceedings within their jurisdictions and warned that failure to recover dues should lead to legal action, including auction proceedings under relevant laws.
“This is not a minor lapse but a systematic misuse of valuation norms,” an official said, adding that the number of irregular cases detected so far could be only a fraction of the actual scale of evasion. The revelations have triggered unease within registration offices across the state.
The crackdown comes amid concerns over sluggish revenue collection. According to officials, only about 62% of the registration department’s revenue target has been achieved so far in the current financial year, which is nearing its end.
Following instructions from the department’s secretary, additional inspector general (AIG) Rakesh Kumar has ordered stricter monitoring of property transactions. Sub-registrars have been directed to carry out site inspections within three days of receiving applications, with clerical staff to be deployed for inspections where manpower is limited.
The AIG has also sought detailed reports on the revision of the Minimum Valuation Rate (MVR), which is due to be implemented before the close of the financial year. Officials said the revised rates could increase land values by two to four times in some areas, potentially boosting revenue but also increasing scrutiny of registrations.
The department has asked all sub-registration offices to submit status reports on MVR revisions, as authorities step up oversight in an effort to plug revenue leakages and tighten compliance ahead of the new financial year.
