Maharashtra Govt Decentralizes Land Regularisation Powers, Collectors to Handle 90% of Cases The Maharashtra legislature on Wednesday passed the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code (Second Amendment) Bill, 2026, marking a significant shift in the state’s approach to land regularisation. The legislation, introduced by revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, empowers district-level authorities to handle the majority of cases involving breaches of land-use conditions. This decentralised framework allows collectors and divisional commissioners to resolve nearly 90% of such cases locally, aiming to reduce bureaucratic delays and improve access to administrative remedies for citizens. The bill replaces the previous system, where even minor land-use violations were referred to the state secretariat in Mumbai, creating a backlog and forcing citizens to make repeated trips to the capital. Bawankule highlighted that this centralised process placed an immense workload on the Mantralaya, the state’s administrative headquarters. Under the new system, only cases of exceptionally high value will continue to be handled at the state level, while routine matters will be resolved at the district level. The amendment addresses longstanding gaps in the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, which previously lacked clear statutory provisions for regularisation. This absence led to legal ambiguities and prolonged litigation, with many cases remaining unresolved for years. The new provisions, including Section 37A, introduce a codified legal framework to streamline the process and ensure uniformity in decision-making across districts. Officials noted that the lack of defined rules had created procedural uncertainties, often disadvantaging small landholders and businesses.#maharashtra_govt #chandrashekhar_bawankule #maharashtra_legislature #maharashtra_land_revenue_code #mantralaya
Will pursue spider museum closure issue: Mungantiwar Amravati: Former forest minister and BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar on Monday criticized Melghat Tiger Reserve officials for secretly closing India’s first National Museum of Spiders, established in 2018 at the Forest Training Institute in Chikhaldara. Mungantiwar expressed frustration over the lack of transparency, noting that with only two days remaining in the Maharashtra legislature session, a formal motion to address the issue could not be introduced due to the required three-day notice period. He stated he would continue pushing for resolution through direct communication with relevant authorities. Speaking to The Times of India over the phone, Mungantiwar, who had inaugurated the museum, criticized the officials for their reluctance to engage with the public, suggesting they lacked confidence in the museum’s value to visitors.#the_times_of_india #sudhir_mungantiwar #chikhaldara #melghat_tiger_reserve #maharashtra_legislature
