Pune: Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, in a written reply on Thursday, told the legislative assembly that Maharashtra has 1.28 lakh pending land survey cases. He said that the backlog figure of 3.12 crore as raised by Khadakwasla MLA Bhimrao Tapkir was incorrect.The minister acknowledged delays, saying it takes an average of 121 days, or nearly four months, to dispose of a land survey case. He said govt was taking steps to reduce pendency and improve service delivery.Bawankule said the Maharashtra Land Revenue Rules, 1989, were amended through a notification issued on Oct 10, 2025 to allow engagement of licensed private surveyors, while a govt resolution on March 25, 2026 approved a district-level tender process for their appointment.The framework prescribes eligibility criteria covering technical qualifications, experience, age, training, licensing conditions, remuneration, administrative supervision and operational standards, he said.Bawankule added that govt is examining a “survey before registration” system under which every property would be looked at before registration of the sale deed, with its area, dimensions, boundaries and geo-coordinates recorded. Mutation and updating of land records would follow registration.Bawankule said govt is studying the legal, procedural and administrative changes required across the revenue, registration and stamps, and land records departments before implementing the system statewide.The minister, in another written reply, told the legislative assembly that his department has not received any formal complaints of overcharging at Maha e-Seva and Setu centres despite allegations that citizens were being charged several times the prescribed fees for govt certificates.Chinchwad MLA Shankar Jagtap alleged that Maha e-Seva, Aaple Sarkar, Setu and Citizen Facilitation Centres in Pimpri Chinchwad were charging Rs 600-Rs 1,500 for certificates whose notified fees are Rs 59 or Rs 128 and applicants were being charged Rs 2,000-Rs 5,000 for caste certificates.Jagtap alleged that many centres do not display govt-approved fee charts, allowing operators to levy arbitrary charges, particularly during the school and college admission season when students seek income, caste, domicile, nationality, non-creamy layer and temporary residence certificates.The minister acknowledged the seasonal rush and added that certificates in Pimpri Chinchwad are issued through the Setu Facilitation Centre at Nigdi and 146 Maha e-Seva centres.Between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026, these centres issued 93,742 certificates, including income, caste, domicile, non-creamy layer, temporary residence and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) certificates and another 20,171 certificates were issued between April and June 2026.The minister said tehsil authorities conduct periodic inspections of Maha e-Seva centres, inspections were carried out under an April 8, 2025 order and fresh directions were issued on May 20, 2026 to naib tehsildars and circle officers.
