Chief minister Arjun Munda and human resource development minister P. N. Singh at the academic council office, which was inaugurated in Ranchi on Saturday. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Dec. 13: The cabinet today approved the computerisation of land records in 144 circle offices.

Chief minister Arjun Munda sanctioned Rs 5.46 crore from the Jharkhand Contingency Fund (JCF) for the computerisation of the land records and setting up computer centres at the circle offices. The Rs 5.47-crore project is being sponsored by the centre. But since the state government had budgetary provision for only Rs 1 lakh in the current fiscal, the remaining amount was being taken as loan from the JCF, cabinet secretary Aditya Swarup said.

Swarup added that deputy commissioners would set up computer centres at collectorates in consultation with the information technology department.

The cabinet also approved the setting up of a 24-hour police control room under the home department at Project Building secretariat and sanctioned the creation of eight posts for the same. The posts include that of a deputy secretary, an additional secretary, two computer operators, two orderlies and two drivers.

The annual recurring expenses on the creation of these posts will come to Rs 6.36 lakh, Swarup said.

The cabinet also revised its earlier order on the appointment of Bhavesh Chandra Jha as additional district and sessions judge of Daltonganj.

Following Jharkhand High Court recommendations, Jha, who was earlier appointed as a regular incumbent, has been re-designated as an ad-hoc appointee and will be deputed at the fast-track court in the same district, Swarup said.

The cabinet also approved the industries department proposal to deposit Rs 1.79 crore with the executing court as directed by a Jharkhand High Court order on the compensation amount dispute in Bokaro Steel Plant.

Swarup said, in an interim order, the Supreme Court had directed the amount to be deposited with the executing court till it was decided which of the two —the state government or the Bokaro Steel Plant — will have to shell out the amount.