The Maharashtra government has launched a statewide initiative to update forest land entries in the 7/12 revenue documents, prompted by delays and cost overruns in the Wardha-Nanded-Yavatmal railway project. Inaccurate forest land entries in revenue records have been identified as a contributing factor. The government has set May 31 as the deadline to update these land records, which will significantly impact land parcels in Vidarbha, a region that accounts for a major portion of forest land in the state.
Core Problem: Disconnect Between Land Records
The core issue lies in a longstanding disconnect between two parallel sets of land records. One set is maintained by the revenue department through the 7/12 extract, while the other is tracked by the forest department in its internal registers. Over time, these records have drifted apart. In many cases, forest land allocated for various purposes decades ago, sometimes before 1980, was never formally denotified, meaning its legal status remains forest land. However, the 7/12 record was updated to show the name of the allottee as occupant, with the forest notation quietly disappearing.
This has created a legal grey zone where land is still considered forest land under the law but no longer appears as such in revenue records. Over decades, private parties have bought and sold such land, leading to encroachments and multiplying litigation. The Supreme Court has also issued directions in various related petitions, requiring the state to ensure compliance through reconciled records.
Three-Tier Process for Record Reconciliation
The government has prepared a three-tier process to address the discrepancies. At the first level, forest range officers will cross-check their own records against the talathi's 7/12 entries and identify mismatches. These mismatches will then be compiled into a list and sent to the deputy conservator of forests, who will verify whether the land is indeed forest land according to departmental records. The deputy conservator will then send a complete proposal with supporting documents to the district collector, who will carry out the 7/12 correction through the prescribed revenue procedure.
Deadline and Beyond
The May 31 deadline applies to clearing the backlog of entries that were never correctly recorded in the first place. Additionally, the forest department has been directed to take immediate possession of land currently held by the revenue department that was never allocated for any specific purpose. On such land, forest officials have been asked to begin plantation and conservation work, incorporating the transferred land into their working plans.
While this may solve some immediate problems, forest officials note that forest land is continuously expanding through new notifications, compensatory afforestation, and acquisition processes. This means the land record updation process will have to continue beyond the deadline to keep pace with ongoing changes.
