Maharashtra launches digital land bank to track government land

The Maharashtra revenue department has launched a digital “land bank” module to create a unified inventory of government land, existing allotments and parcels available for future allocation.

The module has been developed under the state’s land dashboard and follows recommendations of the Vikas Kharge committee after the Mundhwa land controversy.

“The initiative follows recommendations made by the Vikas Kharge committee after the Mundhwa land row, which called for greater use of technology and stronger institutional safeguards in govt land management,” a senior official from the state settlement commissioner’s office told the Times of India.

The platform will compile details of government land held by district collectors, land allotted to departments and corporations, and vacant land that can be earmarked for projects or compensatory afforestation.

Revenue officials said the system is intended to establish the location and status of a land parcel before it enters the allotment process.

“The system has been integrated with the e-Ferfar platform, enabling digital access to survey numbers, land area and other records, which will be cross-checked with the physical inspection reports before the status of the parcel is updated,” a revenue official said.

The department has also made physical verification, or ground truthing, mandatory for government and occupancy class-II land.

“Village revenue officers will inspect parcels on the ground, with findings verified by tehsildars before being uploaded to the land bank. This will give govt departments and agencies a consolidated picture before they seek land for projects,” the official said.

Government departments, corporations and autonomous bodies will be able to apply for land online through the system.

Sub-divisional officers have been designated as nodal authorities. Applications will move through field inspection, tehsil-level verification and digital processing.

“The exercise is intended to go beyond simple digitisation by creating an updated and verified picture of govt land holdings. Once records are updated, the platform will identify land available for compensatory afforestation and future allocation,” a senior revenue department official said.

Officials said the land bank is expected to create a clearer audit trail and a single source of information on government land.

“Its effectiveness will, however, depend on timely updates, regular verification and the extent to which information is made accessible to the public. The emphasis is on accuracy as well as transparency. The field position will be checked and verified before the allocation status is recorded digitally,” another revenue official said.

The system is intended to bring land records, physical verification and allocation requests into a common digital process.