Revenue pendency to be cleared by April 30, says Punjab FM Cheema
Punjab FM Harpal Cheema says all revenue-related pendency will be cleared by April 30
Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced important steps to improve public services and reduce corruption in the revenue department. On Tuesday, during a press conference in Chandigarh, he said that the government will clear all pending cases related to revenue services like land mutations, income certificates, and land record copies by April 30, 2025.
These steps are aimed at making the system more efficient and citizen-friendly. The changes include shortening timelines for services, introducing better monitoring, and using online methods to avoid delays and reduce the chances of corruption.
Huge number of applications received in 2024-25
According to minister Cheema, the revenue department received a large number of public service requests in the last year:
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8,42,362 applications were received for attestation of uncontested mutations (transfer of land ownership).
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5,33,054 applications were for getting an income certificate.
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1,73,149 people applied for inspection of revenue records.
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31,164 were for obtaining copies of land records.
Out of these, several applications crossed the given timelines and remained pending:
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26,658 mutation applications
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17,400 income certificate requests
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4,362 requests for land record copies
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2,123 inspection applications
The government has promised to clear all such backlog cases by April 30.
Faster services from May 1
To speed up services, the finance minister also announced reduction in time limits for processing applications:
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For uncontested mutations, the time will be reduced from 45 days to 30 days starting May 1, 2025.
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Copying service (land record copies): must be given in 10 days
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Income certificates: to be issued within 15 days
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Inspection of revenue records: must be allowed within 7 days
Cheema said that from now on, deputy commissioners (DCs) of districts will check the number of pending cases daily to ensure that applications are processed without delay.
Cheema clearly said that if any government employee or officer delays work unnecessarily, strict action will be taken against them. This rule is meant to make sure that officials stick to deadlines and provide services on time.
New online system for mutations
To improve transparency and make things easier for people, Cheema said the government has launched an online module. Now, citizens can submit requests for land mutations directly on the revenue department’s website. This move reduces the need to visit government offices again and again and avoids delays.
The earlier system was very slow and required people to go through patwaris, kanungos, and tehsildars, which created many hurdles and gave rise to corruption. Many people had to pay bribes or wait for long periods to get their land records updated.
The finance minister explained that even though services like income certificates and inspection of records were available through sewa kendras (public service centers), citizens still had to visit DC offices, tehsil offices, and municipal offices to get their work done. This process was very tiring and confusing.
Now, with better online services, citizens can avoid these difficulties and complete the process faster.
The Punjab government is trying to make the revenue department more honest, quicker, and easier to access. By using online tools and reducing time limits, the government hopes that people will face fewer problems and corruption will be reduced.
Finance minister Cheema said that the goal is to make government services simple, fast, and fair. He promised that anyone who fails to perform their duty in time will be held accountable.
Revenue minister Hardeep Singh Mundian and senior officer Anurag Verma were also present at the press conference. They supported the new measures and said they would make sure all pending cases are handled before the deadline of April 30.
This new plan shows the Punjab government’s commitment to improving services for the people. With better monitoring, clear deadlines, and online systems, the public is expected to benefit from quicker, smoother, and more transparent services.
