Key Points

Deepak Saxena, Commissioner of Public Relations (DPR), who took the initiative to renovate Jabalpur Revenue Archive while serving as district collector recently, showcased the initiative through a short film presentation.

While presenting the idea, Saxena explained that the newly renovated Jabalpur revenue archive now resembles a modern bank locker room in its environment and organisation. He said that innovation has significantly improved public access to revenue records, completely transforming their experience.

"This initiative has freed both the public and archive staff from the previously unhygienic and cluttered conditions, and greatly reduced the effort required to locate specific records," Saxena added.

He further stated that the archive holds revenue records of generational significance for families, which are now not only securely stored but also easily traceable with full transparency.

He explained that a newly developed digital portal allows users to locate records by just a few entries, identifying the exact rack, shelf, box, and file number. Applicants can access this information from home or through a kiosk installed outside the record room.

Commissioner Saxena shared that the condition of revenue record rooms across the state is usually similar--overcrowded and disorganised, with information about file locations known only to a few clerks or assistants.

"This made it extremely difficult for citizens to retrieve even their own records. To address this issue, the record room in Jabalpur was renovated and modernised. Old iron racks were repaired and repainted, and traditional cloth bundles were replaced with durable plastic boxes," he said.

Every case file was individually packed in plastic sleeves, then placed inside the labelled plastic boxes.

Colour-coded stickers were used for tehsil-wise classification, while each box was labelled with year-wise and category-wise details. Every rack, shelf, plastic box, and file was assigned a unique location code. These codes were affixed as stickers on boxes and files.

An online application was developed to host all location-related information, enabling users to easily access case file data. This step toward good governance has made the retrieval of revenue records simpler, faster, and more transparent for citizens and officials alike.

- IANS