Maharashtra To Rope In Private Surveyors, Strengthen Revenue Machinery With New E-Service Centres

The state government has decided to involve licensed land surveyors to complete pending land surveys within 30 days. This initiative aims to help citizens settle claims early after land division or acquisitions and to establish clear ownership. The Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, has been amended to allow private players to participate. Currently, over three crore demands for land surveys are pending, which will now be addressed with the involvement of private surveyors.

Expansion of Aaple Sarkar E-Service Centres

To further strengthen the revenue machinery, the government approved new Aaple Sarkar Seva Kendras (e-service centres) at the circle level. These centres assist citizens in availing basic government services and welfare schemes digitally.

Role of Talathis and Circle Offices

Talathis serve as the primary point of contact for land record services, identifying beneficiaries for state schemes and approving various certificates. Circle offices supervise talathis’ work. Currently, e-service centres provide 1,096 services across 38 state departments and are located at tahsildar or SDO offices. The new centres at the circle level aim to improve access and efficiency.

Mumbai Revenue Setup

In Mumbai, the city district has four revenue circles with 19 talathis, while the suburban district has 12 circles with 72 talathis. They manage revenue-related work and certificates such as nationality, income, domicile, senior citizen, solvency, caste, and non-creamy layer status.

Attendance and Accountability Measures

To strengthen the system, talathis (re-designated as village revenue officers) in mofussil areas are now required to be present at their offices four days a week, with one day at the circle office. Circle officers are tasked with monitoring talathis’ work to ensure compliance. District collectors will review the functioning of circle offices and e-service centres every six months.

Challenges for Citizens

Officials acknowledge that tracking talathis and availing services has been difficult, as they are often absent or hard to locate. The new measures are aimed at improving transparency, accountability, and citizen access to essential services.