The Bihar government has ordered the immediate removal of striking amins, or land surveyors, from duty and directed the deactivation of their IDs on the e-Maapi portal, as the ongoing agitation creates a backlog in land-survey and revenue-related services across the state.
The revenue and land reforms department issued the directive to all district magistrates on Tuesday. Additional secretary Amit Kumar Pandey asked the DMs to implement the orders within 24 hours and submit action-taken reports to the department.
Under the new arrangement, special survey amins working in survey camps at the block level will be deployed proportionately to fill vacancies created by the strike. Revenue and zonal officers have been instructed to complete the formalities required to activate the deputed personnel on the e-Maapi portal within the stipulated timeframe.
Amins who have not joined the strike will continue to perform their duties as usual, according to the directive. Circle officers will be responsible for onboarding the deputed special survey amins onto the portal, while district administrations will oversee the replacement process and report compliance to the department.
The department said discussions had already taken place on the demands raised by the striking amins and that the employees had been informed about steps taken to address their grievances. It also directed the agitating surveyors to resume work immediately at their respective workplaces and zonal offices.
However, reports from several districts indicated that the strike was continuing. The department said the agitation had resulted in a growing backlog of cases on the e-Maapi portal, affecting public services and revenue-related activities. The portal is used in the administrative processing of land-survey work, making access to the system and the availability of authorised personnel important for the movement of pending cases.
The disruption has implications for residents whose land-related applications are awaiting survey or revenue-office processing. The directive seeks to prevent the backlog from increasing by replacing striking personnel with special survey amins from existing survey camps rather than leaving vacancies unfilled.
The government described the action as necessary in the interest of administrative efficiency and public convenience. District magistrates must complete implementation within 24 hours, after which the department is to receive action-taken reports from the districts.
