CS reviews performance of Revenue Department

Directs avoiding unnecessary presence of applicants in Patwar Khanas

JAMMU, October 27: Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta today held a comprehensive review of the functioning of the Revenue Department here.

At the outset, Chief Secretary was briefed by Secretary, Revenue Department, Dr Piyush Singla about the status of online services of Revenue Department, steps taken for demystification of Revenue records, progress on developing the module for online Girdawari, various key parameters under DILRMP, digitisation and geo-referencing of Cadastral Maps, AGRISTACK, SVAMITVA, ULPIN, utilisation of land for public projects/ purpose among other things.

During the meeting, Chief Secretary stressed on full implementation of Auto Appeal System for all the online services of the Department to ensure timely delivery of services to common masses. He said that the data regarding pendency under Public Service Guarantee Act, 2011, in delivery of services should be analysed to identify the officers with highest pendency beyond stipulated timelines under the act and taking of strict disciplinary action against them during the vigilance week.

Chief Secretary said that under no circumstances will Patwaris summon / solicit unnecessary physical presence of applicants for online services and in exceptional circumstances, formal notices outlining the cause for which their physical presence is required should be issued.

The Patwaris have also been directed to maintain a separate register in their offices to record on daily basis the details of persons visiting their offices physically and to outline the purpose of the visit. He further stressed on geo-referencing of cadastral maps of all pending villages and completion of process of pending pass book distribution immediately.

Chief Secretary emphasized that pendency in delivery of online services should be cleared in mission mode. He said that regular feedback of services must be solicited from field functionaries and the applicants to ensure smooth service delivery to the citizens.

Dr. Mehta also took review of several measures taken to streamline the working of the department and to make the crucial revenue records readily available to public. He took note of the progress made in developing of online Girdawari module. The module is going to enable field functionaries to record seasonal crop details instantly besides ensuring that the Girdawari is done in the field recoding geo-coordinates of the respective fields.

Chief Secretary also reviewed progress made in demystification of revenue records so that it is understandable to general public in easy to understand language. He enquired about the GoI sponsored programs like AGRISTACK, SVAMITVA, ULPIN, etc.  He made out that the progress in the implementation of these programs should be further fast tracked for the benefit of public at the earliest.

During this meeting, Chief Secretary was informed that under land records modernization programme millions of land records documents have been digitized and legacy records scanned successfully till date. It was further given out that the working of the department has been fully made online with minimal interface of applicants with the functionaries of the department.