Reading West Bengal Land Records: Khatian, Dag Number and the Banglarbhumi Portal

Anyone buying, inheriting or disputing land in the Asansol area soon meets the vocabulary of West Bengal's land records: khatian, dag, mouza, LR and RS. Understanding these terms makes it easier to read a record of rights and to spot problems early.

General information, not legal advice.

The building blocks

• Mouza. A revenue village or survey unit. Each mouza has a name and a jurisdiction list (JL) number.
• Dag (plot) number. The number given to a particular plot of land in the mouza map.
• Khatian. The record of rights for a landholder, listing the plots (dags) recorded in that person's name and their share in each. One khatian can include several dags, and one dag can appear in several khatians where it is jointly held.
• Classification. The record shows the recorded nature of the land, such as agricultural (sali), homestead (bastu) or pond, which matters for use and conversion.

LR and RS records

West Bengal has records from more than one survey and settlement operation:

• RS (Revisional Survey) records are older.
• LR (Land Reforms) records were prepared under the West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955 and are the more recent records in most areas.

Plot numbers in LR and RS records often differ for the same land, so old deeds that cite RS dag numbers may need to be matched with the current LR numbers.

Banglarbhumi

The state's land records portal, Banglarbhumi (banglarbhumi.gov.in), lets users search records by district, block and mouza, and then by khatian or plot number. It shows recorded owners, shares, area and classification, and it can be used to check the status of mutation and conversion applications. Certified copies of records are obtained through the procedure the department prescribes.

Mutation

Mutation means updating the record of rights after a transfer, inheritance or partition. In rural areas, applications are handled by the Block Land and Land Reforms Officer (BL&LRO). In municipal areas such as Asansol, property tax records are also maintained by the municipal corporation, which has its own mutation process.

The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that mutation entries are for fiscal purposes and do not by themselves create or extinguish title. Title comes from the deed, the succession or the decree; the record should follow it.

What to check before a land transaction

1. The seller's name appears in the current LR khatian for the dag being sold.
2. The share recorded matches what is being sold.
3. The classification suits the intended use, or conversion has been granted.
4. The chain of deeds explains how the seller came to own the land.
5. There are no pending disputes or acquisition proceedings affecting the plot.

Information about property, land and revenue disputes, and other matters at Asansol Court, is on lawyerinasansol.com.