Patna: In a major relief for landowners across Bihar, the Revenue and Land Reforms Department has introduced a new system under which revenue officials will proactively identify land registered in the names of deceased owners and initiate the mutation process in favour of their legal heirs.
The initiative is aimed at eliminating the need for beneficiaries to make repeated visits to Circle Offices (Anchal offices) for inheritance-based land mutation and to expedite the disposal of long-pending cases.
Revenue and Land Reforms Department Secretary Jai Singh has issued a master circular to all Divisional Commissioners and District Magistrates, directing them to implement the new system with immediate effect.
Until now, legal heirs were required to submit applications themselves for mutation of land records following the death of the recorded landholder. However, due to lack of awareness, family disputes and procedural delays, a significant number of land parcels continue to remain registered in the names of deceased ancestors.
According to the department, more than 60% of landholders in Bihar are affected by this issue, leading to difficulties in availing government schemes, buying or selling property, obtaining bank loans and completing other revenue-related transactions.
Revenue Officials to Visit Villages
Under the new mechanism, revenue employees will prepare a list of deceased landholders using information from panchayat birth and death registers, reports submitted by village watchmen (chowkidars), elected representatives and local residents.
Officials will then contact the legal heirs, collect the required documents and obtain consent letters wherever necessary.
If the required documents are submitted within seven days, the authorities will initiate partition-based mutation proceedings where applicable. In cases where no partition has taken place, inheritance-based mutation will be carried out.
Suo Motu Mutation Through Online Portal
Based on the report submitted by the revenue employee, the Circle Officer (CO) will take suo motu cognisance and complete the mutation process through the Bihar Bhumi Portal. The entire process will be recorded online to ensure transparency and proper monitoring.
To accelerate the updation of land records, the department has assigned each revenue employee a target of disposing of at least five cases involving deceased landholders every month.
The performance of revenue staff will be reviewed regularly by Additional Collectors and Circle Officers to ensure timely implementation of the new system.
The department said the initiative is expected to significantly reduce delays in inheritance-based land mutation while helping maintain updated and accurate land records across Bihar.
