Delhi LG Saxena reviews the functioning of Revenue Department, issues directions

New Delhi [India], July 28 : Delhi Lieutenant Governor, VK Saxena recently chaired a meeting to review the functioning of the Revenue Department.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, Revenue, cum-Divisional Commissioner, all District Magistrates and the Special CEO of Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).
Notably, the Revenue Department involved in land matters, including maintenance of land records, acquisition, registration, sale, etc has a direct interface with DDA and MCD. Its dealings have a direct bearing on the policies and functioning of DDA and MCD. It also plays a critical role with regards to disaster management and providing basic relief, and services to the people across the City, which involves inter and intra departmental coordination.
After detailed discussions that entailed going into various aspects of the Department's mandate, functioning and delivery, the Lieutenant Governor issued the various directions.
The Department was asked to expedite seeking legal opinion on the SOP for implementation of Land Pooling Policy and apprise the action taken within 3 days and reconcile the 142 pending land acquisition awards with DDA within one month.
In light of the cases of fraud and corruption in the registration, transfer and mutation of land coming to the fore, the Lieutenant Governor directed the Department to ensure that the online processing of applications for demarcation is made operational within a month.
He instructed that the details of Evacuee, Enemy, Gram Sabha and acquired land should be integrated in Delhi Online Registration Information System (DORIS) under 'prohibited properties' to prevent transaction of these lands. It was also instructed that the legal validity of continuing consolidation proceedings in urbanized villages be examined and necessary action be taken in this regard.
In this regard, the Department was also asked to ensure integration of DORIS and mutation software so that there is automatic updation of land records after registration of any transaction of land. The integration of the Appointment Management System with DORIS was instructed to be completed by 15/08/2022.
The Department was also asked to make a detailed presentation on Revision of Circle Rates along with the reports of the various working groups constituted for this purpose. The Lieutenant Governor pointed towards the blanket order that had led to sealing thousands of borewells in the City irrespective of the water table beneath them. With the aim of framing a scientific and reasoned policy for regulating borewells in the Capital, the Department was instructed to examine the map of Delhi prepared by the Central Ground Water Board to identify locations where water table is high and accordingly frame such policy.
De-sealing of borewells at such sites accompanied by pit holes to recharge ground water will help meet the City's water requirements in an environmentally sustainable manner. The Revenue Department has been instructed to create a template for monitoring progress of restoration and renovation of water bodies and the same will be monitored by respective District Magistrates regularly.
The Lieutenant Governor asked the Department to expedite the setting up of an Integrated Command and Control Centre at Shalimar Bagh and advised them to examine the feasibility of shifting all the control rooms of various departments to NDMC's control room in the meantime. Instructions were issued to expedite and dispose the claims pending for payment of ex-gratia to families of COVID-19 victims within 15 days, the office of the Lieutenant Governor informed.