Gujarat Information Commission recommends proactive disclosure of land allotment records

By A Representative 

In a landmark order, the Gujarat Information Commission has urged the state’s Revenue and Panchayat Departments to make land allotment records digitally accessible to citizens. The directive, issued by State Information Commissioner Nikhil Bhatt in Appeal No. A-4898-2024, followed a case filed by Hirabhai Kamabhai Rathod of Moti Matli village, Taluka Kalavad, District Jamnagar. 

Rathod had sought copies of documents — including the sanad, possession record, and “Chaturdasha” (four-side) map — related to agricultural land allotted to him in 1966. Despite exhaustive searches, the Chaturdasha map could not be traced by the concerned authorities.

During the hearing, the Commission noted that many similar appeals involve missing or untraceable records of land allotted under various government schemes such as Santhani, Hakkthi, Haraji, Vinamulya, and Rahatdar allotments. Citing the need for systemic transparency, the Commission invoked Section 25(5) of the RTI Act, 2005, to issue broad recommendations. 

It advised the Revenue Department to undertake a special drive to upload not only post-2005 land records but also older allotment records — including allotment orders, sanads, possession receipts, and Chaturdasha maps — on the state’s AnyRoR portal.

The Panchayat, Rural Housing and Rural Development Department was similarly advised to establish a dedicated online portal to provide citizens with access to certified copies of land and plot allotment records. The Commission also directed district and taluka-level offices to trace and, if found, provide the missing Chaturdasha map to the appellant free of cost.

Emphasizing that land allotment documents are classified as permanent “A-category” records requiring systematic preservation, the Commission stated that proactive disclosure would reduce the number of RTI applications and appeals, while ensuring transparency and easier access to information, especially for poor and marginalized citizens.