BHUBANESWAR: Signalling the state government’s intent to safeguard the interests of share-croppers, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday said a comprehensive law would be considered to provide legal protection to both share-croppers and landowners.
The chief minister made the remarks while inaugurating 57 new sub-registrar offices across 56 tehsils in 17 districts, a major milestone in revenue administration. With this, sub-registrar offices have now become operational in all 317 tehsils of the state, including an additional sub-registrar office under the Cuttack tehsil.
Majhi said that the absence of legal rights has long deprived share-croppers of various welfare benefits. He advised the Revenue and Disaster Management department to work towards framing a law that would grant legal security to share-croppers while also protecting the rights of landowners.
Highlighting the government’s citizen-centric approach, the chief minister said the objective was to ensure that people no longer have to travel to district headquarters for land and registration-related services. “Our resolve is clear - the government must reach the people, not the other way around,” he said, adding that synchronisation between tehsil and registration offices would enable seamless post-registration mutation, enhance transparency and eliminate middlemen.
Majhi also unveiled the expanded ‘Ama Sathi’ Unified WhatsApp chatbot by adding 11 key services which would enable people to apply for and receive certificates and services such as mutation cases, caste, income, residence, legal heir, guardianship and OBC/SEBC certificates through the number 9437292000, without visiting tehsil offices.
Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari said the government had fulfilled its commitment to open sub-registrar offices in every tehsil.
After opening offices in 44 tehsils across 13 districts in November last year, the remaining offices were made operational on Thursday. This will reduce travel costs, speed up property registration and curb intermediary interference, he added.
Ministers, MPs, MLAs and officials participated virtually from district and block headquarters. Development commissioner Deoranjan Kumar Singh and inspector general (registration) P Anvesha Reddy were also present.