Maharashtra Government Launches Statewide Drive to Update Railway Land Records, Assign Separate Survey Numbers
Mumbai, 7th May 2026: The Maharashtra Government has issued a Government Resolution (GR) directing a statewide exercise to update and regularise railway land records in village maps and revenue documents by registering them in the name of “Government of India, Railways.”
The resolution, issued by the Revenue and Forest Department under Government Resolution No. Sankirna-2025/P.R.236/Bhumpan/E-1346038 dated May 7, 2026, seeks systematic correction and updation of Village Form 7/12 records, Property Cards, village maps and other land documents relating to railway properties across the state.
According to the GR, separate Survey Numbers, Gat Numbers and City Survey Numbers will be assigned to railway lands wherever required.
The government noted that railway tracks have existed since the pre-independence era and Indian Railways has subsequently acquired large tracts of private land for additional railway lines, stations and infrastructure projects. However, due to incomplete updation of revenue records, several railway lands continue to lack proper ownership entries in Village Form 7/12 records and Property Cards.
In several instances, railway lands were recorded as roads or pathways, while land acquisition details were not incorporated into revenue databases. The discrepancies have led to encroachments, ownership disputes and litigation involving railway properties.
The GR stated that original survey maps and land records will now be verified and separate Village Form 7/12 entries will be opened in the name of “Government of India, Railways.” Railway ownership details missing from consolidation and resurvey schemes will also be incorporated.
The government has further directed that railway expansion areas and post-survey land acquisition records be updated in revenue documents. In cases where acquisition changes were not reflected in Village Form 7/12 despite entries in “Kami-Jasta Patrak,” corrections are to be carried out immediately.
District Collectors and Land Acquisition Officers have been instructed to incorporate missing records relating to new railway lines and stations based on acquisition awards, maps and possession documents.
The resolution also mandates correction of railway lands wrongly classified as roads or pathways after verification. Dotted railway boundaries shown in old maps will be converted into firm boundaries with proper ownership entries.
In urban and city survey areas, separate Property Cards will be created for railway stations, tracks and railway properties under the ownership name “Government of India, Railways.”
To implement the exercise, District Collectors across Maharashtra have been directed to conduct a special joint campaign with the Revenue and Land Records Departments for statewide updation of railway land records.
The move is expected to provide formal ownership documentation for railway properties, strengthen legal protection against encroachments, support ongoing infrastructure projects and streamline future railway land acquisition processes across Maharashtra.
