The Jharkhand government has taken a firm stance to ensure transparency and accountability in land and revenue-related matters. Land Revenue Minister Deepak Birua has directed that Circle Officers (COs) can no longer arbitrarily reject landowners’ applications by citing technical reasons. Any officer found doing so will face action, and COs must now provide a clear, written justification of at least 50 words for any rejection or objection.

Chairing a departmental review meeting at Project Bhavan on Tuesday, Minister Birua criticised the frequent use of Jharbhoomi portal glitches as an excuse for rejecting applications. He made it clear that such practices would no longer be tolerated and urged COs to ensure fairness and efficiency in their duties. He also emphasised the need for improvements in modern record rooms, as many landowners struggle with illegible Khatiyan prints and unclear scans. To address this, he directed officials to enhance scanning quality and introduce translation facilities for records written in Kaithi and Bengali scripts.

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The minister also reviewed National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) projects, expressing concerns over the neglect of rural roads due to the construction of Railway Over Bridges (ROBs). He stressed that proper planning should ensure ROBs do not disrupt local connectivity. Additionally, he called for timely compensation in land acquisition cases and held NHAI officials responsible for resolving related issues swiftly.

Departmental Secretary Chandrashekhar underscored the importance of meeting annual revenue collection targets and announced a review of underperforming circles to implement corrective measures. He also instructed Land Reforms Deputy Collectors (LRDCs) and Assistant Commissioners (ACs) to closely monitor special camps set up for land-related services to ensure smooth processing for landowners.

During the meeting, Land Revenue Director Bhor Singh Yadav provided updates on pending land mutation cases, online land rent payment systems, and land demarcation issues. Senior officials, including Special Secretary Shashi Prakash Jha, LRDCs, Additional Collectors, and other key personnel, were present.