Ratnagiri, 1 July (News) - The Maharashtra Government has taken serious note of the Revenue Department's action of recording the ancient Devarai and Devrahati lands of Konkan in the name of the Maharashtra Government without any prior notice. These sacred lands form the backbone of Konkan's biodiversity, environment and cultural traditions. Following a demand by the Maharashtra Mandir Mahasangh, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has directed the Deputy Secretary of the Revenue Department to conduct a thorough inquiry into the entire matter and submit a report immediately. Although this positive step has provided temporary relief to thousands of villagers and temple trustees across Konkan, the Mahasangh has resolved to continue its agitation until the original entries in the 7/12 land records are fully restored.

1. Mr Sunil Ghanwat, National Coordinator of the Maharashtra Mandir Mahasangh, exposed the arbitrary functioning of the administration in a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule.

2. The concerned Tehsildars allegedly misinterpreted a letter issued by the Ratnagiri District Collector in 2018 and carried out unilateral action without issuing individual notices or granting an opportunity for a hearing. By treating thousands of acres of Devarai land as "unauthorised religious sites", they removed the names of the respective temples from the 7/12 land records and replaced them with "Government of Maharashtra".

3. Local villagers and the Maharashtra Mandir Mahasangh strongly opposed this action, stating that Devarai are not unauthorised man-made structures but ancient sacred forest lands traditionally associated with temples and preserved as part of the region's natural heritage.

4. The Mahasangh has alleged that this action is in direct violation of the legal provisions under Section 150 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966. Local villagers have expressed fears that recording these ecologically sensitive forest lands in the Government's name could be part of a conspiracy to eventually hand them over to real estate developers.

5. This has created a serious threat to Konkan's cultural heritage and ecological balance. It has also raised concerns whether this is a precursor to the proposed "Maharashtra Devasthan Inam Abolition Draft, 2026", allegedly intended to facilitate the takeover of 5.5 lakh hectares of temple land across Maharashtra.

6. The Maharashtra Mandir Mahasangh has made three principal demands: restoration of the original temple entries in the affected 7/12 land records, a high-level inquiry against the revenue officials responsible for violating the law, and mandatory consultation with the local Gram Sabha before any future decisions concerning such lands.