People think that Revenue Department has the limited job of keeping a record of the land, its ownership, transfer, mutation, erosion or retrieval and matters like that. The fact of the matter is that revenue department has a vast scope and area of administration provided it is alive to its duties and responsibilities. A pressing question with which the Revenue Department is bogged with is proper utilization of the land we have and how best it can be made productive. How the land can become an instrument of increased income and maximum utility.
In view of these and other objectives, the Revenue Department had, sometime in the past proposed a plan called State Revenue and Land Use Planning Board as an agency that would take care of various aspects of land utilization. The proposal was submitted to the GAD for further action by the Government at proper levels. Unfortunately, the proposal never saw the light of the day and the GAD put it in cold store. A proposal, which if implemented would have brought about considerable change in the activity and scope of the Revenue Department has been left to collect dust. The proposal was that once the Board in question was constituted, it would lay down broad guidelines for optimum utilization of land reclaimed through implementation of flood protection schemes; create an informed public opinion in order to obtain their cooperation with regard to the matters concerning better land and water management; formulate housing policies for the rural areas for cluster type of construction or developing colonies by public-private so as to save agricultural lands from further participation degradation and shrinkage. Undoubtedly these are very important areas that have not been given due attention and the agency proposed by the Revenue Department would have met this requirement. It is unfortunate that GAD is sleeping over the proposal. It is to be recalled that the Government had made a commitment on the floor of the assembly of formulating the Board in question. Nothing has been done so far. We expressly suggest that the Chief Secretary takes cognizance of GAD’s lack of interest in taking proper action on the proposal. Directions to take it up forthwith must flow now.
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