Bihar s revenue and land reforms department has suspended and penalised nearly 50 revenue officials and staff in the last one month for various irregularities, including bribery, manipulation of land records and inordinate delays in settling cases, officials s
Bihar’s revenue and land reforms department has suspended and penalised nearly 50 revenue officials and staff in the last one month for various irregularities, including bribery, manipulation of land records and inordinate delays in settling cases, officials said on Saturday. They added that the action is part of a statewide crackdown on corruption in land-related services.
Among those punished, 18 circle officers have been suspended, and departmental proceedings have been initiated against them. In one prominent case, former circle inspector Santu Kumar Ram of Ratni Faridpur had his pension cut by 100% after vigilance sleuths caught him accepting a bribe red-handed. Similarly in Rohtas, former circle officer Seema Rani faces departmental proceedings over allegations of falsifying government land records.
Other circle officers facing action during this period include Surajeshwar Shrivastava of Kargahar (Rohtas) for unauthorised absence, Jayprakash Swarnkar of Murliganj (Madhepura) for irregularities in mutation cases even after transfer, Ajay Kumar Sarkar of Narayanpur (Bhagalpur) for allegedly demanding ₹5 lakh as a bribe, Vijay Kumar Gupta of Baunsi (Banka); and Nagendra Prasad of Belhar (Banka). Several others received censure, withholding of increments or chargesheets.
The department has simultaneously stepped up monitoring to fast-track pending work. Special camps are being held from June 11 to 17 to accelerate the scanning, uploading and disposal of applications received under the ongoing revenue mega campaign. Divisional monitoring cells have been set up to keep a constant watch on progress, with hourly updates being reviewed at the state headquarters.
Revenue and land reforms minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal said that the timely disposal of all applications is the department’s top priority. “The revenue mega campaign concerns lakhs of people across the state, so no laxity or delay at any level will be tolerated,” he stressed.
The minister further asserted that the government is following a policy of zero tolerance against corruption. “Action against bribery, irregularities and misuse of power will continue without any let-up,” Jaiswal said.
Several senior officers have been given specific responsibility to monitor different divisions—Patna, Tirhut, Kosi-Saran, Magadh-Bhagalpur, Darbhanga and Purnia-Munger—and submit daily reports. Officials said swift instructions are being issued wherever the pace of work is unsatisfactory.
A senior officer said the drive reflects the government’s effort to bring transparency and accountability to land records management—an area that directly impacts millions of farmers and citizens in Bihar. Officials indicated that such strict measures, coupled with better monitoring, will continue in the coming days.
Subhash Pathak is special correspondent of Hindustan Times with over 15 years of experience in journalism, covering issues related to governance, legislature, police, Maoism, urban and road infrastructure of Bihar and Jharkhand.Read More