Assam Circle Offices and Mouzadar System: Role in e-Khajana

Have you applied for e-Khajana online on the Sewa Setu portal, only to see your application stuck on the status "Pending with LM/Mouzadar" for weeks? Many citizens in Assam face this issue. To solve it, you must first understand how land administration works in Assam and the specific roles of the Circle Office, the Lot Mandal (LM), and the Mouzadar.

Here, I will explain the role of these administrative officers in the e-Khajana payment system and what steps you must take to get your pending files approved. Let's get started.

The Land Revenue Hierarchy in Assam

To collect land revenue and maintain records, the Assam government uses a structured system from the state level down to the village level:

1. The Revenue Circle Office

The state of Assam is divided into multiple Revenue Circles (e.g., Dispur, Sonapur, Katigorah, Jorhat, etc.). Each Circle Office is headed by a Circle Officer (CO). The Circle Officer is the administrative head who oversees all land transactions, mutations, disputes, and tax collections in that circle block.

2. The Lot Mandal (LM)

A Revenue Circle is further divided into small administrative areas called "Lots". Each Lot is managed by a field officer known as the Lot Mandal (LM). The Mandal is the actual keeper of land records. They carry out physical land surveys, verify land boundaries, record plot measurements in the field book (Chitha), and maintain the village map.

3. The Mouzadar System

In Assam, villages are grouped into historic tax-collection zones called Mouzas. Each Mouza is overseen by a Mouzadar. The Mouzadar is a local agent appointed by the government (often a hereditary post) responsible for collecting land revenue (Khajana) from the landowners in their Mouza and depositing it into the government treasury.

Their Role in the e-Khajana Online System

When you submit a new registration application for e-Khajana on the Sewa Setu portal, the application does not calculate your tax automatically. It goes through a verification flow:

1. Verification by Lot Mandal: The application first goes to the Lot Mandal of your area. The Mandal verifies your Dag and Patta numbers, checks the land area, and confirms if you are the actual owner.
2. Tax Calculation by Mouzadar: Once the Lot Mandal verifies the land details, the application goes to the Mouzadar. The Mouzadar checks the previous tax history, calculates the pending land revenue (Khajana) dues, and enters the payable amount into the online portal.
3. Approval: After the Mouzadar updates the tax amount, the status changes to "Disposed" or "Approved", and the payment button becomes active in your Sewa Setu dashboard.

How to Resolve "Pending with LM/Mouzadar" Status?

If your application has been pending for more than 15 to 20 days, waiting online will not help. You should take these active steps:

1. Print out the RTPS Acknowledgement Receipt that you received after submitting your e-Khajana form online.
2. Locate your local Circle Office or the office/residence of your Mouzadar. (You can ask local villagers or panchayat members for directions to the Mouzadar's house, as they often operate from home offices).
3. Visit the Lot Mandal or Mouzadar directly. Show them your printed acknowledgment receipt and request them to verify your application online.
4. Since they have access to the administrative login portal, they can search your reference number and approve it on the spot. Once they click approve, the payment option will show up in your mobile dashboard immediately.

By taking these simple steps, you can avoid delays and complete your online land tax payment easily.