Amidst a dispute between officers of the Bihar Administrative Service and the Bihar Revenue Service over appointments to the post of Deputy Collector Land Reforms (DCLR), the government has created a new post at the sub-divisional level. It has been named the Sub-divisional Revenue Officer. The Bihar Revenue Service Rules, 2010 have been amended for this purpose.

A notification has been issued by the Revenue and Land Reforms Department. Only officers of the Bihar Revenue Service will be appointed to this post.

Key Responsibilities And Duties Of The Sub-divisional Revenue Officer

The Sub-divisional Revenue Officer has been assigned eight responsibilities. Their main responsibilities will include:

  • Supervision of work at the circle level.
  • Revenue collection and online revenue management.
  • Protection of government land and making land available for public purposes.
  • Disaster management and special campaigns.
  • Addressing public grievances and hearing quasi-judicial cases.

Background: Formation Of The Bihar Revenue Service (2010)

The Bihar Revenue Service was formed in 2010. The objective was to create a separate cadre for matters related to land revenue. Before that, only officers of the Bihar Administrative Service were appointed to the posts of Circle Officer, DCLR and Land Acquisition Officer.

It was decided that the first appointment for officers of this cadre would be to the post of Circle Officer. After promotion, they would be appointed to other posts. The post following Circle Officer is DCLR. There are 101 sub-divisions in the state where DCLRs are appointed.

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Ongoing Legal Dispute And Patna High Court Directives

After 15 years of service, officers of the Bihar Revenue Service have become eligible for appointment to the post of DCLR and higher positions. Despite this, the majority of DCLRs are still from the Bihar Administrative Service. This matter is also pending in the Patna High Court.

In June last year, the Patna High Court had ordered the state government to appoint officers from the Revenue Service to the post of DCLR. This has not yet been implemented. The next hearing is scheduled for February, during which the government will explain the difficulties it faces in implementing the High Court's order.