Odisha to Notify 1,635 New Revenue Villages in Major Restructuring Drive
Dedicated mapping cells in tehsils to ensure accurate boundaries and updated land records
Bhubaneswar: In a significant step towards improving land administration and governance, the Odisha government is set to notify 1,635 new revenue villages across the state. The Revenue and Disaster Management Department has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to guide a large-scale restructuring of revenue village boundaries, ensuring clear demarcation and preventing overlaps with existing village borders.
This initiative follows repeated demands from the public and recommendations from district collectors and settlement officers for formalizing many habitations that have long functioned as de facto villages without formal recognition in revenue records.
According to a letter from the Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department, only around 1,000 villages were declared revenue villages between 1991 and 2024. However, the previous administrations prepared maps for only about 300 of them, leaving the remaining 700 villages without official mapping or updated land records.
To correct this backlog and expand administrative coverage, the state government has now decided to not only complete the mapping of these 700 pending villages but also map an additional 935 new villages, bringing the total to 1,635 new revenue villages.
To streamline this process, the government will establish dedicated mapping cells in every tehsil, equipped with the necessary resources and personnel. These cells will be responsible for preparing detailed maps and updated land records for each newly created revenue village.
The comprehensive restructuring aims to provide administrative clarity, enhance service delivery, and ensure accurate land ownership data. It will also help in assigning unique plot numbers, maintaining village accounts, and integrating the new records into the existing digital land database.
As per the SOP, district collectors, Revenue Divisional Commissioners (RDCs), and the Director of Land Records and Survey have been directed to expedite the mapping process and ensure all procedures are completed with precision. Each new revenue village will be assigned separate land records, plot numbers, and boundary lines to eliminate any chance of data duplication or overlap with earlier records.
Officials believe that this reorganization will not only strengthen land governance but also benefit villagers by enabling easier access to government services, clear property rights, and smoother land transactions in the future.
This initiative is expected to be a landmark reform in Odisha’s land administration history, aligning with the state’s broader goals of transparent and efficient governance.
