The Maharashtra Revenue Department has directed officials across the Konkan region to take strict action in cases involving breaches of conditions attached to government land and to prioritise the protection of public property. The department has also asked officials to work towards completing land measurement within 15 days of receiving an application wherever possible.
The directions were issued by Revenue Department Additional Chief Secretary Vikas Kharge during a review meeting on the functioning of the Konkan divisional revenue administration at Konkan Bhavan. The meeting was attended by Konkan Divisional Commissioner Rubal Agarwal, Additional Divisional Commissioner Siddharam Salimath, Thane District Collector Dr Shri Krishna Panchal, Mumbai Suburban District Collector Saurabh Katiyar, Additional Commissioner Vaishali Indani Untwal and Deputy Commissioner Ravindra Pawar, among other officials.
The district collectors of Mumbai City, Palghar and Raigad, along with other officials, joined the meeting through videoconferencing. The review covered revenue-related work in the division, including the handling of government land cases, land measurement and citizen representations.
Kharge instructed officials to decide cases involving breaches of government land conditions seriously and, where required under the rules, begin proceedings to resume the land to the government. He also directed the administration to ensure effective recovery in such cases and to give priority to protecting government assets.
Government land subject to specific conditions can involve restrictions on its use, transfer or development. Action in breach cases therefore affects the administration of public land as well as the records and permissions linked to it. The directions issued at the meeting place responsibility on revenue officials to examine such cases and take action according to the applicable rules.
The additional secretary also instructed officials to use technology effectively in the functioning of the Revenue Department. The department was asked to develop an efficient process for taking prompt decisions on complaints, claims and representations received from citizens.
The proposed 15-day target for land measurement is intended to speed up a process that can affect property records, boundary-related matters and applications before revenue authorities. The instruction was framed as a direction to work towards completing measurements within that period wherever possible, rather than as a blanket confirmation that every application would be completed within 15 days.
The meeting brought together officials from the Konkan division, which includes major urban and rapidly developing areas such as Thane, Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban, Palghar and Raigad. The department’s next steps will involve implementing the directions through the relevant district and divisional revenue offices.
