For anyone dealing with land records, partition, or e-Khajana payments in Assam, the term Lot Mandal is very familiar. However, many people do not know exactly what a Mandal does, or what the official document called Chitha means. Understanding their roles can help you resolve land issues much faster.
Here, I will explain the role of a Lot Mandal and the importance of the village Chitha book in simple terms.
Who is a Lot Mandal?
A Lot Mandal (often simply called Mandal) is a field-level land revenue officer appointed by the Revenue Department of Assam. Each revenue circle is divided into small blocks called "Lots", and one Lot Mandal is assigned to manage each Lot.
The Mandal is the direct contact point between landowners and the government. Their main responsibilities include:
- Conducting physical land surveys and plotting boundaries on maps.
- Verifying land details during sales, purchases, or inheritance (mutation/Namjari).
- Reporting land class conversions (e.g. from agricultural to residential).
- Assessing land damages during natural disasters like floods.
What is the Field Chitha?
The Chitha is the official field register book maintained manually by the Lot Mandal for every village. It is a detailed master log of all land plots (Dags) in the village.
For every Dag (plot) in the village, the Chitha records:
- The exact area size of the plot.
- The names of the landowners (Pattadars).
- The classification of soil (e.g., Basti, Rupit, Faringati).
- The type of Patta (Myadi or Eksonia).
- The crops grown on the land and mutation transaction history.
Why are they important for e-Khajana?
When you apply for e-Khajana online, the system sends your details to the Lot Mandal. The Mandal opens their physical Chitha book, verifies if your Dag/Patta details match your online application, checks the land class, and calculates the applicable tax rate. Without the Mandal's verification in the online system, your e-Khajana tax amount cannot be updated, and your payment remains pending. That is why the Lot Mandal plays the most critical role in the online land records of Assam.