State revenue dept tells Pune district administration to upload land allotment data

Time of India

6 days ago

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Pune: The state revenue department has directed the district administration to upload comprehensive records of govt land allotted to educational institutions and private entities as part of a transparency drive.
In a letter dated July 21, the department instructed both Pune and Solapur districts to upload the data on their respective websites by July 23. The matter is slated for review at a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing on July 29.
While Solapur met the deadline, Pune sought additional time and is expected to upload the data in the coming days, a senior state revenue official told TOI. "Both districts were directed to ensure full disclosure on their websites.
We have received Solapur's report, and Pune's is awaited," the official said.
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Pune resident deputy collector Jyoti Kadam confirmed that the process is underway. "The data will be uploaded shortly as per the requirement," she said. The data of the land bank that has been allotted will soon be up on the department's website, she said.
The department's directive follows repeated concerns over land allotted for public purposes being left idle or diverted for other use.
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A 2018–19 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report asked the state to make such data publicly accessible for audit and citizen scrutiny.
The transparency drive is grounded in a govt resolution (GR) issued on Nov 26, 2012, which directed all district collectors to upload land allotment orders, circulars, and agreements by March 2013. However, compliance across districts has remained patchy, the CAG report stated.
As per revenue department records, Mumbai city and Nagpur have uploaded data up to 2018–19, Pune has only done so till 2015, and Nashik, Thane, and Mumbai suburban are yet to upload any information, the letter stated.
PAC has consistently emphasised that making land allotment records public is key to ensuring that govt land is used as originally intended. Officials acknowledged multiple instances where land granted for education or social welfare was either left unused or repurposed in violation of allotment terms.
Activists have also highlighted the need for regular monitoring and public disclosure. "There have been violations recently, and the district administration has issued notices in several cases, however, no action was taken," said activist S Joshi.
In 2023, the district administration identified 102 institutions — educational, charitable, and otherwise —for alleged breaches of lease or occupancy terms tied to govt land. Of these, action was taken against 16 and the remaining was to be carried out. However, due to the elections last year, the administration did not carry out any action.
Over the past three decades, Pune district has allotted around 1,000 hectares of govt land on lease or occupancy terms to 1,480 institutions, making oversight and compliance monitoring a key concern.