J&K needs to rationalize Patwar Halqas and Girdawar Circles. Here is why

By Mohammad Amin Mir

In a significant yet long-overdue step towards transforming the Revenue administration of Jammu & Kashmir, the All J&K Patwar Association (AJKPA) has once again called for the rationalization of Patwari Halqas and Girdawar Circles. This demand, often buried beneath larger bureaucratic reforms, has now re-emerged as a central pillar for enabling successful land record digitization and ensuring efficient public service delivery across the Union Territory.

At the heart of the land administration in J&K lies a workforce of patwaris and girdawars—field-level officials responsible for maintaining land records, issuing fards (land ownership documents), implementing mutations, and supporting revenue courts. However, these officials are burdened by an archaic and irrational division of halqas (jurisdictions) that neither reflects ground realities nor accommodates population growth, urban expansion, or changes in land use pattern.why rationalizing these administrative units is not only crucial for the success of the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP) but also a vital ingredient in delivering efficient, transparent, and error-free services to the people.

Presently, many Patwari Halqas in Jammu & Kashmir are disproportionately large—some encompassing over 15–20 revenue villages and tens of thousands of land parcels. Meanwhile, some halqas remain minuscule and obsolete, owing to outdated administrative decisions made decades ago. Girdawar Circles, which oversee the work of multiple patwaris, also suffer from the same misalignment.

This uneven distribution creates an overload on certain patwaris and girdawars, resulting in:

• Delayed mutations and fard issuance

• Errors in manual and digital Jamabandi entries

• Frustration among the public seeking time-bound revenue services

• Inability to meet deadlines for digitization tasks

• Higher vulnerability to corruption and negligence due to staff fatigue

As a result, even the most well-intentioned digitization drives end up replicating the same flawed data structures into digital formats—rendering technology ineffective unless the human and operational backend is corrected.

Why Rationalization Is the Need of the Hour

Rationalization entails redefining halqas and circles based on population, workload, geography, and digital capacity. It means redrawing administrative boundaries to ensure that each patwari or girdawar is responsible for a manageable number of villages and land parcels.

Key benefits of this exercise include:

1. Accuracy in Digital Records: With manageable jurisdictions, patwaris can focus on verifying entries, cross-checking maps, and ensuring clean data input—an essential for error-free land digitization.

2. Faster Service Delivery: Rationalization directly reduces processing time for fards, mutations, and land verifications, aligning with the Public Services Guarantee Act (PSGA).

3. Reduction in Public Grievances: Citizens will no longer be forced to wait weeks or months to get their rightful revenue services due to staff overburdening.

4. Efficiency in Training and Monitoring: Targeted e-infrastructure and training can be deployed where needed, and supervisory officers can monitor a more balanced team.

5. Support for Digital Integration: Geo-referenced cadastral maps, e-fards, and real-time mutations require precision—possible only when human resources are well-aligned with digital ambitions.

What Needs to Be Done

The process of rationalization is not merely administrative—it is political, social, and technological. It requires coordinated action from the Revenue Department, Finance, IT Department, and local governance institutions.

Key Recommendations:

1. Constitute a Rationalization Task Force: A UT-level body of senior revenue officers, data scientists, and field officials should be set up to recommend a new framework for halqa and circle creation.

2. Use GIS and ETS Data: Satellite imagery and ETS (Electronic Total Station) surveys should guide the redrawing of boundaries for practical, terrain-based divisions.

3. Involve Local Stakeholders: Deputy Commissioners, Tehsildars, Lumberdars, and village chowkidars must be consulted for ground validation and community acceptance.

4. Legislate Uniform Criteria: Through a government notification or amendment, clear criteria should be laid down—e.g., no halqa should exceed 10,000 kanals or more than 4–5 villages, wherever possible.

5. Create Additional Posts: Rationalization will create a need for more patwaris and girdawars. The government should simultaneously recruit and promote officials to fill these positions, especially in under-served areas.

The Commissioner Secretary’s Role and Commitment

Recently, a delegation led by the UT President of the AJKPA, Mr. Ghulam Mohammad Sofi, met with the Commissioner Secretary Revenue, who showed a deep understanding of the issue. According to sources in the meeting, the Secretary not only heard the delegation with empathy but also assured them of early action—indicating that recommendations for rationalization would be taken up soon.

This renewed commitment by the top leadership sends a strong signal to revenue functionaries across J&K: the government is serious about systemic reform, not just superficial digitization.

Conclusion: A Reform Whose Time Has Come

Rationalization of Patwari Halqas and Girdawar Circles is no longer a technical or administrative necessity—it is a moral obligation in a digital age. Without correcting the workload imbalance at the grassroots, the dream of real-time land record updates, transparent property transfers, and digital governance will remain incomplete.

The public of Jammu & Kashmir deserves a revenue system that works for them—not one that drags them from office to office. By rationalizing field units, we bring the administration closer to people’s doorsteps, reduce corruption, and empower digital tools to do what they were designed to do—deliver clarity, efficiency, and trust.

The Chief Secretary of Jammu & Kashmir, Mr. Atal Dulloo, has shown visionary leadership in pushing forward DILRMP and modernization of the Revenue Department. Rationalization of halqas and circles, if implemented with the same zeal, will be the defining reform that anchors all other digital initiatives.

Let this be the moment when field-level restructuring becomes the foundation for a modern, citizen-friendly, and transparent land governance regime across the Union Territory.

Mohammad Amin Mir is a  columnist and policy commentator specializing in land reforms, digital governance, and grassroots administration in Jammu & Kashmir. He writes regularly for national and international publications.