Despite the effort to modernize revenue records, the failure to accurately integrate historical data has led to confusion and distress for landowners. Corrective measures are needed in J&K’s revenue management system.
The Department of Revenue has taken a historic step by scanning and digitizing revenue records across the entire state, making these records available online for public use. The Revenue Department assigned the task of scanning revenue documents to a renowned private company, RAMTECH. The authorities of this reputed company also worked tirelessly, round the clock in shifts, to complete the assigned task.
During the scanning process, the Revenue Department added another feather to its cap by preparing fresh Jamabandis for each village. Subsequently, these essential documents were digitized. However, these Jamabandis were written hastily, and previous records, particularly girdawaris, were not properly considered. The entries mentioned in these girdawaris were not incorporated into the handwritten Jamabandis. As a result, people are compelled to run from pillar to post to ensure these entries are reflected in the digitized Jamabandis.
Revenue extracts have been issued based on these girdawaris. However, many entries are now missing from the digitized records, causing significant distress for numerous individuals. This also constitutes a violation of Section 23B of the Jammu and Kashmir Land Revenue Act.
Secondly, the non-incorporation of girdawari entries into digitized Jamabandis has created havoc in the revenue system. There are thousands of such cases. For instance, in the village of Sransoo Shampora in Tehsil Qazigund, District Anantnag, survey number 124/124, measuring one kanal and six marlas, was recorded in the names of two shareholders: Ghulam Hassan (half) and Mst. Eeshee (half) in 1967-1968.
Subsequently, through mutation number 223 under Section 4 of the Agrarian Reforms Act, four marlas of this land were recorded in the name of Mohammad Yousuf Seh, the son of Mst. Eeshee. By virtue of this mutation, the ownership of the land vested with the state, and the share was taken from the legal heirs of Mst. Eeshee. This means the remaining four marlas remained in the name of Ghulam Hassan
It is pertinent to mention that the land measuring 18 marlas was recorded in the name of Mohammad Yousuf Seh as the absolute owner under Sections 4 and 8 of the Agrarian Reforms Act. This means the patch of land measuring four marlas, recorded in the name of Ghulam Hassan, remained intact until 2018, when the new Jamabandi (later digitized) was prepared.
Before the new Jamabandi was written, the entries for this survey number matched those in the Jamabandi written in 1997-1998. Ghulam Hassan, the shareholder, has since passed away, and his legal heir, Ghulam Mustafa, is in possession of these four marlas of land under survey number 124/124. On the ground, Mohammad Yousuf Seh is in possession of one kanal and two marlas under the same survey number, while the area under the possession of Ghulam Mustafa has been utilized by the Department of Education to establish a school building.
This implies that these four marlas have been acquired by the Department of Education, but the legal formalities are yet to be completed. Four years ago, the Department of Education asked landholder Ghulam Mustafa to submit the revenue papers at the Zonal Education Office, Qazigund. Mustafa approached the Revenue Department to obtain the necessary revenue extracts and successfully submitted the Jamabandi for 1997-1998 and the girdawari extract for 2017 to the Zonal Education Office.
The tenancy column in these revenue extracts is recorded as follows:
Ghulam Hassan – half
Mst. Eeshee – half
Moqboozai – Mohammad Yousuf Seh, son of Mst. Eeshee, 4 marlas
This indicates that the four marlas of Mst. Eeshee, for which Mohammad Yousuf Seh is mentioned as the possession holder, align with the mutation under Sections 4 and 8 of the Agrarian Reforms Act.
After submitting these records, Ghulam Mustafa expected that either a family member would be offered employment or compensation for the land would be provided. However, five years have passed, and there has been no response from the Department of Education. This year, the department asked landowners whose lands house educational institutions to deposit fresh revenue records in the concerned zonal offices.
Upon receiving this information, Ghulam Mustafa’s daughter visited the Tehsil Office, Qazigund, where she was asked to apply online. However, her application was rejected because the land was not listed in her grandfather’s name. After scrutinizing the records, it was revealed that the four marlas transferred to Mohammad Yousuf Seh under Sections 4 and 8 of the Agrarian Reforms Act were recorded under a separate khewat. However, in the remarks column of the digitized Jamabandi, the following line was written: “Rukbai char marlay zayel ho chukey han.”
Seeing this remark, the authorities initially denied her access to the revenue extracts and advised her to challenge the mutations transferring the land to Mohammad Yousuf Seh in a court of law. Later, after thorough scrutiny by the patwari halqa and other revenue experts, including the Tehsildar, she was finally allowed to obtain the revenue extracts.
Such situations are being faced by numerous landowners across the state. The Revenue Department should use the efforts of the Tehsil Office, Qazigund, as a roadmap and adopt a similar approach. Digitalized records must be thoroughly scrutinized to prevent further hardship for the common people.
The writer is a Patwari at the Tehsil Office, Qazigund
Amin Mir
mi********@***il.com