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District guide
Buying Land in Saharsa
A Kosi-plain district of maize, paddy and makhana, with a Patna–Purnia Expressway spur planned, rail links being rebuilt and a real flood history.
1,645 sq km
Area (CGWB district profile)
19.0 lakh
Population (Census 2011)
1,360 mm
Normal annual rainfall (CGWB)
36.7%
Groundwater development (CGWB)
*Indicative range across districts and land types. Stamp duty, registration and conversion charges are additional. Local measurement units vary — every listing states the unit it is priced in. Not a valuation or an offer.
District land record — Saharsa
Rev. 2026 · Farmland India desk
State
Bihar
Sub-division
Two sub-divisions (Saharsa Sadar and Simri Bakhtiyarpur) and ten blocks: Banma Itahari, Kahra, Mahishi, Nauhatta, Patarghat, Salkhua, Saur Bazar, Satar Kataiya, Simri Bakhtiyarpur and Sonbarsa (CGWB district profile)
Key markets
Saharsa town · Simri Bakhtiyarpur · Nauhatta · Sonbarsa · Saur Bazar · Mahishi
Demand anchors
Patna–Purnia Expressway with a Saharsa spur, land preparations from Jul 2025 (ACE Update) · Supaul–Saharsa rail section reopened on broad gauge in 2019 (Railpost)
Rail
Saharsa Junction and the Garh Baruari–Supaul section cleared for trains by the Commissioner of Railway Safety in Nov 2019 (Railpost)
Size and population
About 1,645 sq km and about 19.0 lakh people at the 2011 Census (CGWB district profile)
Pricing unit
Asking prices are usually quoted in kattha or decimal; no sourced price series is shown
Local units
Kattha and bigha vary in size across Bihar and are not fixed by a single official conversion; 1 decimal is one-hundredth of an acre (435.6 sq ft). Always convert to acres or sq ft on the deed.
Land records
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Land law is state law. These rules are maintained on the Bihar page and apply to every district within it.
Saharsa — land purchase legal rules
Bihar does not reserve agricultural land for farmers the way Gujarat or Maharashtra do, so an Indian resident who is not a cultivator can usually buy farmland here. The limits that bite are different: a family land ceiling, a conversion permission before any non-farm use, an unfinished statewide resurvey that is rewriting old records, and the usual NRI bar under FEMA. Most buyer problems in Bihar come from the records, not from the law.
Who can buy agricultural land? We found no provision in Bihar’s tenancy or ceiling laws that limits farmland purchases to agriculturists. What the Bihar Land Reforms (Fixation of Ceiling Area and Acquisition of Surplus Land) Act, 1961 controls is how much a family may hold, and section 16 bars any acquisition by transfer, exchange, lease, mortgage or settlement that would take the buyer’s family above its ceiling. Inheritance, bequest and gift are outside that bar.
Ceiling limits: Section 4 of the 1961 Act sets the ceiling for a family of up to five by land class: 15 acres for land irrigated by government works and double-cropped, 18 acres for land on private tubewells or lift irrigation, 25 acres for one-season irrigated land, 30 acres for other land including orchards, 37.5 acres for diara or chaur land and 45 acres for hilly, sandy or perennially submerged land. Each extra family member adds one-tenth of the ceiling, up to one and a half times the limit. A “family” is a person, spouse and minor children, and companies, trusts and institutions count as persons.
Conversion to non-farm use: The Bihar Agriculture Land (Conversion for Non-Agriculture Purposes) Act, 2010 requires prior permission from the Sub-Divisional Officer before agricultural land is used for anything else. The fee is 10% of market value as set by the Collector under the Stamp Act, the SDO must decide within 90 days, and converting without permission draws a penalty of half the fee on top of the fee. The Act does not apply inside municipal areas or areas notified as urban, commercial or industrial through a master plan, where building and layout rules take over instead.
Mutation and the Jamabandi: A registered deed is not the end of the job. The buyer has to apply for mutation, called Dakhil Kharij, so that the Jamabandi (register II) moves to the buyer’s name and rent receipts are issued to the buyer. Both steps run online through Bihar Bhumi, and errors in the digitised Jamabandi are corrected through the Parimarjan portal. Sellers whose Jamabandi carries a wrong name, area or plot number should fix it before registry, not after.
The special land survey: Bihar is resurveying land under the Bihar Special Survey and Settlement Act, 2011, which will produce a new Khatiyan (record of rights) and maps for each village. The deadline was moved to December 2026 in March 2025 (PTI via ThePrint), and the revenue minister was reported in March 2026 to have set December 2027 for completion (Prabhat Khabar, March 2026). Buyers in a village under survey should check whether the seller filed the self-declaration and whether any claim or objection is pending on the plot.
Government, Bhoodan and estate land: A large share of disputes involves land that was never the seller’s to sell: government land recorded as gair mazarua, Bhoodan land, or land of former estates. The revenue department reported that 2,56,664.88 acres of the 6,48,593.14 acres donated under Bhoodan had been distributed, and that about 15,358 acres of the former Bettiah Raj estate were set to be taken over (Deccan Herald). Check the khata category in the Khatiyan before paying any token money.
Scheduled Areas and tribal land: Bihar is not among the ten states with notified Fifth Schedule Areas (PIB). The Chotanagpur and Santhal Parganas tenancy restrictions on tribal land went with those regions to Jharkhand in 2000, so buyers moving between the two states should not assume the same rules apply.
Planned township zones: Bihar has finalised areas for 11 greenfield satellite townships and in April 2026 the Urban Development Department barred sale, purchase and construction in seven of them, including the Pataliputra Township around Patna (Prabhat Khabar, April 2026). The ban on sales was lifted in August 2026, though a landowner inside the Pataliputra township area must first inform the government before selling, and a cabinet decision reported on 29 October 2026 removed the restriction in the satellite townships, with construction to follow the development control rules (Prabhat Khabar, 9 August 2026; Prabhat Khabar, 29 October 2026). Zoning under these plans now decides what a plot can be used for.
Documents to ask for: Before paying an advance, collect the current Jamabandi page and the latest rent receipt (lagan rasid), the Khatiyan (record of rights) from the last settled survey and, where it exists, the new survey entry, the Bhu Naksha map sheet with the plot number marked, the seller’s chain of registered deeds (kewala) for at least the last 30 years, the mutation order that put the land in the seller’s name, and a land possession certificate (LPC) from the circle office. Match the khata, khesra (plot) number, area and boundaries across every document. Our Bhu Naksha guide and mutation status guide show how to pull these online.
NRI and OCI buyers: Under the RBI’s Master Direction on acquisition of immovable property, NRIs and OCIs may buy immovable property in India other than agricultural land, plantation property or a farm house. They can inherit such land. Our NRI guide covers the options in detail.
- No farmer-only rule found
- Ceiling Act 1961
- Conversion Act 2010 (SDO)
- Dakhil Kharij mutation
- Special survey to 2027 (reported)
- NRI agri: barred (RBI)
- Records via Bihar Bhumi
Saharsa — district-specific notes
The Bihar state page applies to Saharsa in full: the ceiling law, the 2010 conversion rule, mutation through Bihar Bhumi and the NRI bar. These five points are specific to the district.
⚠ Saharsa sits in the south-eastern part of the Kosi megafan, with old river channels, chaurs (low lakes) and the Kosi along its western edge (CGWB district profile). Land that looks fertile can be a former channel; walk the plot in the monsoon or ask neighbours how deep and how long the water stood.
⚠ The 2008 Kosi embankment breach at Kusaha flooded Saharsa, Supaul and Madhepura, with loss of life, homes and farmland (CGWB district profile). Down To Earth reported in August 2026 that flood victims were still awaiting compensation and rehabilitation 18 years later (Down To Earth, Aug 2026). Embankment strips and diara land can be government land; check the Jamabandi category before you pay.
⚠ The Patna–Purnia Expressway is approved through Saharsa district, with a spur to the city, and land acquisition preparations began in July 2025, with a revised valuation required and preliminary notices to follow (ACE Update, 22 Jul 2025). Plots near the line may be acquired; ask the district land acquisition office before paying an advance.
⚠ Iron above the BIS limit occurs in patches; the CGWB reports no arsenic exceedance (CGWB district profile). Test the water before you build a farmhouse or a drinking-water source.
⚠ Bihar’s special land survey has been extended more than once and is still running in many mauzas (Deccan Herald). Check on Bihar Bhumi whether the mauza has finished survey and whether the Khatiyan and Jamabandi match what the seller shows you.
Read the full Bihar land buying guide for the ceiling, conversion, survey and NRI rules.
- Kosi floodplain
- Waterlogged chaur land
- MVR revised June 2026
- Expressway acquisition
- Survey in progress
District overview
Saharsa — a Kosi-plain market town district of maize, paddy and makhana
Saharsa district covers about 1,645 sq km in the Kosi region of north-east Bihar and had about 19.0 lakh people at the 2011 Census, with about 8% living in towns. It has two sub-divisions, Saharsa Sadar and Simri Bakhtiyarpur, and ten blocks (CGWB district profile). The district averages about 44 m above sea level, slopes south and has many old channels, chaurs and groundwater-fed streams; the Kosi flows along its western boundary. The agro-climatic record places it in the North East Alluvial Plain zone with Purnea, Madhepura and Supaul (ICAR agro-climatic record).
The Patna–Purnia Expressway is the biggest project. The six-lane, 90 m wide greenfield road, approved at about Rs 18,042 crore, passes through Saharsa and Madhepura on its way to Chand Bhaddi in Purnia, and the state has asked for a spur road to connect Saharsa city to it. Land acquisition preparations started in July 2025 across six districts, with a revised valuation required under the 2013 Act before preliminary notices (ACE Update, 22 Jul 2025; Prabhat Khabar, 14 Feb 2025). That is a plan, not a road you can use today.
Rail is also changing. East Central Railway completed broad-gauge conversion of the Garh Baruari–Supaul section on the Supaul–Saharsa route, and the Commissioner of Railway Safety cleared it in November 2019, with two pairs of passenger trains reported between Supaul and Saharsa. The 22 km Nirmali–Saraigarh link, which would restore a Kosi bridge destroyed in the 1930s, was described as likely soon, and it would reconnect Darbhanga with Forbesganj, Saharsa and Purnia by the shortest route (Railpost, 29 Nov 2019). The report is from 2019, so check the current status with East Central Railway.
The government rate changed on 19 June 2026. The MVR doubled for urban and peripheral land and rose 1.6 times for rural land, and general stamp duty rose from 6% to 7% (Prabhat Khabar, 18 Jun 2026). Most villages fall in the rural band; the doubled band covers the ring around Saharsa town and smaller nagar parishads.
For farmland: the CGWB lists paddy, maize, pulses and fibre in kharif and maize, wheat and pulses in rabi, with wheat on about 496 sq km and rice on about 279 sq km, and notes makhana, litchi and mango among the district’s products. India TV lists Saharsa among Bihar’s main makhana hubs (CGWB; India TV, 15 Sep 2025). The CGWB classes all ten blocks as safe, with overall groundwater development at 36.7%.
- Saharsa town
- Simri Bakhtiyarpur
- Nauhatta
- Kosi embankment
- Makhana
- Expressway spur
Transaction costs
Stamp duty & registration in Saharsa
7%
General stamp duty from 19 June 2026
up from 6%, as reported by Prabhat Khabar
2.0x / 1.6x
MVR multiplier from 19 June 2026
2.0x urban and peripheral land, 1.6x rural land
5% a year
Annual MVR increase
with a full MVR review every three years
The state rates apply here. Prabhat Khabar reported on 18 June 2026 that from 19 June general stamp duty rose from 6% to 7%, the Minimum Value Register (MVR, the government’s floor value for registration) was doubled for urban and peripheral land and raised 1.6 times for rural land, women buyers get 0.4% off stamp duty and 0.1% off the registration fee, and the MVR will rise 5% each financial year with a full review every three years (Prabhat Khabar, 18 Jun 2026). Peripheral land means land within 8 km of a municipal corporation, 4 km of a nagar parishad or 2 km of a nagar panchayat. For Saharsa that means the ring around Saharsa town and nagar parishads or nagar panchayats such as Simri Bakhtiyarpur and Nauhatta, where applicable; most villages fall in the 1.6x rural category. The report does not state the registration fee or say whether the older extra 2% duty in municipal areas continues; the 2017-18 state audit gave a 2% registration fee (CAG report No. 2 of 2019), so ask the sub-registrar for the current total before you budget. Our stamp duty guide and MVR guide explain how to look up the rate for a plot, and fees are paid through Nibandhan.
Know the belt
What is moving prices in Saharsa
Reported expressway, rail and makhana developments; no listing-site prices are used.
Saharsa town and the spur belt
District headquarters market
Saharsa is the main registry and trade centre, and the Patna–Purnia Expressway spur is planned to connect it (ACE Update). Demand is for plots and small commercial land.
Check: which ring of the town the plot lies in and whether the spur alignment has been notified.
Simri Bakhtiyarpur and the second sub-division
Western plain
Simri Bakhtiyarpur is the second sub-division; the CGWB gives the block the lowest groundwater development in the district, 25.4% (CGWB). That leaves room for new tubewells.
Check: the Kosi channel history and drainage of the plot.
Nauhatta, Patarghat and Saur Bazar
Higher groundwater use
These blocks have the highest groundwater development: Nauhatta 51.1%, Patarghat 49.8% and Saur Bazar 49.0% (CGWB). Moderate use is still within the safe category.
Check: well depth and water quality.
Sonbarsa, Mahishi and the chaur lowlands
Makhana and waterlogged land
The CGWB notes chaurs that fill in the monsoon and waterlogging pockets with water within 2 m of the surface after the rains (CGWB). Low land like this suits makhana but not other crops or building.
Check: flood and waterlogging history and the Jamabandi land category.
Asking price
We found no newspaper or official price series for Saharsa farmland, so none is shown. Government rates went up sharply from 19 June 2026 (Prabhat Khabar); use the MVR for the mauza and recent registered deeds in the same village as your reference, and treat broker quotes as asking prices.
Connectivity
How Saharsa connects — road, rail and air
The expressway spur and rebuilt rail links are the main changes. Drive times to villages are not given because no source was found.
🚗 By road
✈️ By air
No drive times to villages are given because no source was found. The expressway is a plan; its timeline is not confirmed.
Growth catalysts
Upcoming infrastructure & developments
Status labels reflect sources read in November 2026. Government-announced timelines are not guaranteed; items with a single or older source say so.
01Open
03Catalysts
Agriculture & terrain
Soil, crops & water in Saharsa
A maize, wheat and paddy district on sandy loam and silty soils, with makhana in the wet lowlands and Kosi waterlogging.
Crops
The CGWB lists paddy, maize, pulses and fibre in kharif, maize, wheat and pulses in rabi, and paddy, maize and moong in the summer season, with wheat on about 496 sq km and rice on about 279 sq km (CGWB).
- Maize and wheat
- Paddy
- Pulses and moong
- Makhana in chaurs
Soils
Soils are mainly alluvial and poorly drained: sandy loam, loamy sand and sand near the Kosi, and silty sand to sandy silt away from it (CGWB).
- Sandy loam near the Kosi
- Silty sand
- Poorly drained low land
Horticulture
Litchi and mango are named among the district’s notable products, with makhana from the wet lowlands (CGWB).
- Litchi
- Mango
- Makhana
Water and irrigation
Net irrigated area is about 553 sq km, with groundwater the major source, and the CGWB puts development at 36.7%, from 51.1% in Nauhatta to 25.4% in Simri Bakhtiyarpur (CGWB). The booklet’s source-wise irrigation breakdown is inconsistent with its total, so treat it as indicative.
Rainfall and rivers
Normal annual rainfall is about 1,360 mm, with about 84% in June to September; the Kosi flows along the western boundary and the district has many old channels, chaurs and groundwater-fed streams (CGWB). Water within 2 m of the surface after the monsoon is recorded in pockets in the north and south-centre.
At a glance
Saharsa vs. nearby districts
| District | Land and water | What links it to Saharsa |
|---|---|---|
| Madhepura (east) | Kosi plain, locomotive factory | Both are on the Patna–Purnia Expressway and were flooded in the 2008 Kosi breach ([Prabhat Khabar](https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/bihar/patna/central-government-approves-patna-purnia-expressway-in-bihar-alignment); [CGWB](https://cgwb.gov.in/old_website/District_Profile/Bihar/Saharsa.pdf)) |
| Supaul (north) | Kosi plain, flood-prone | Linked by the Supaul–Saharsa rail section reopened in 2019 and the 2008 Kosi breach ([Railpost](https://www.railpost.in/crs-allows-trains-between-darbhanga-jhanjharpur-supaul-saharsa/); [CGWB](https://cgwb.gov.in/old_website/District_Profile/Bihar/Saharsa.pdf)) |
| Darbhanga (west) | Makhana and city | On the Patna–Purnia Expressway, and the missing Nirmali–Saraigarh link would reconnect Darbhanga with Saharsa ([ACE Update](https://aceupdate.com/land-acquisition-starts-for-the-patna-purnia-greenfield-expressway/); [Railpost](https://www.railpost.in/crs-allows-trains-between-darbhanga-jhanjharpur-supaul-saharsa/)) |
No price series is available for any of these districts, so the table compares land type and links only. Compare the MVR and registered deeds rather than asking prices.
Farmland India view
Why investors look at Saharsa
Five reasoned points for Saharsa, each tied to a source on this page.
A spur to a planned expressway
Saharsa city is planned to be linked by a spur to the Patna–Purnia Expressway (ACE Update). If built, it would improve access for the town and nearby blocks, but the timeline is not confirmed.
Priced for a reason
Saharsa is Kosi-plain land with waterlogging and a flood history (CGWB). Lower prices than around Patna reflect that, not a mispriced market.
Makhana and maize as a base
Saharsa is named among Bihar’s main makhana hubs, and maize and wheat give steady rabi demand (India TV; CGWB). Wet lowland suits makhana but is hard to build on.
A higher government rate changes the cost base
The June 2026 MVR rise and 7% stamp duty raise the cost of each registration (Prabhat Khabar). Only land near towns is in the doubled band.
Groundwater headroom
Development is 36.7% and every block is classed as safe, with Simri Bakhtiyarpur lowest at 25.4% (CGWB). Moderate use leaves room for tubewells, but check local iron levels.
Confirm Jamabandi, mutation, zoning and acquisition status directly — these are not certified by Farmland India’s review.
STRAIGHT TALK
Risks & challenges in Saharsa
District-specific risks. Read the state page for the general Bihar risks on ceiling, conversion and records.
Kosi flooding
The 2008 breach flooded Saharsa, Supaul and Madhepura, and Down To Earth reported in August 2026 that victims were still awaiting compensation (CGWB; Down To Earth). Ask neighbours and the block office about past floods, and view the plot in the monsoon if you can.
Waterlogged chaur land
Chaurs fill in the monsoon, and post-monsoon water within 2 m of the surface occurs in pockets (CGWB). Such land can suit makhana but not other crops or building.
Embankment and government land
Land near embankments and old channels can be government land or recorded differently in the Jamabandi. Check the category before you pay.
Expressway acquisition
The expressway and spur need land (ACE Update). Paying an advance for land on a draft alignment can end in a compensation dispute.
Peripheral MVR multiplier
Land within 4 km of a nagar parishad or 2 km of a nagar panchayat is charged at twice the old MVR (Prabhat Khabar). Confirm the ring before you settle on price and budget.
Mismatched records
Old Khatiyan entries, unmutated inheritance and the ongoing special survey mean records often differ from the field (Deccan Herald). Match the plot number on Bihar Bhumi with a physical measurement.
Iron in groundwater
Iron above the BIS limit occurs in patches (CGWB). Test water before building a farmhouse.
Joint family land
Unpartitioned joint land needs every co-sharer’s signature, including those who work away. A missing signature can void the sale years later.
Who to contact
Local revenue & planning offices
The Collectorate and district administration are listed on the Saharsa district website. Mutation and Jamabandi work go through the circle office and Bihar Bhumi; record corrections run through Parimarjan. Conversion of agricultural land is handled by the sub-divisional officer, and registration through the sub-registrar office covering your mauza, booked on Nibandhan. For embankment or river-side land, ask the Water Resources Department and the circle office.
KEEP EXPLORING
Explore more areas
Other districts in Bihar
- Araria
- Arwal
- Aurangabad
- Banka
- Begusarai
- Bhagalpur
- Bhojpur
- Buxar
- Darbhanga
- East Champaran
- Gaya Ji (gaya)
- Gopalganj
- Jamui
- Jehanabad
- Kaimur (bhabua)
- Katihar
- Khagaria
- Kishanganj
- Lakhisarai
- Madhepura
- Madhubani
- Munger
- Muzaffarpur
- Nalanda
- Nawada
- Patna
- Purnia
- Rohtas
- Samastipur
- Saran
- Sheikhpura
- Sheohar
- Sitamarhi
- Siwan
- Supaul
- Vaishali
- West Champaran
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
Everything buyers, NRIs and investors ask before their first reviewed farmland purchase in Saharsa.
Visit full wiki01 of 04
What are the stamp duty and MVR changes for land in Saharsa?
Prabhat Khabar reported that from 19 June 2026 Bihar’s general stamp duty rose from 6% to 7%, the MVR doubled for urban and peripheral land and rose 1.6 times for rural land. Ask the sub-registrar for the current registration fee and your plot’s category.
02 of 04
Is there a price guide for farmland in Saharsa?
We found no newspaper or official price series for Saharsa farmland, so we show none. Use the revised 2026 MVR for the mauza and land category, and recent registered deeds in the same village, as your references.
03 of 04
Will the Patna–Purnia Expressway pass through Saharsa?
Yes. The approved alignment passes through Saharsa district, and a spur road is planned to connect Saharsa city to the main expressway. Land acquisition preparations began in July 2025, but acquisition notices and the construction timeline should be checked with the district office.
04 of 04
Is Saharsa land safe from Kosi floods?
Not automatically. The 2008 Kosi embankment breach flooded Saharsa, Supaul and Madhepura, and the CGWB records waterlogging pockets and monsoon-filled chaurs. Check the mauza’s flood history and the plot’s level before you pay.
Transparency
Sources and references
Law and courts
- Bihar Agricultural Land (Conversion for Non-Agricultural Purposes) Act, 2010
- Bihar Land Reforms (Fixation of Ceiling Area and Acquisition of Surplus Land) Act, 1961
- CAG, Report No. 2 of 2019: stamp and registration fees, Bihar
Government
- Saharsa district administration
- CGWB: Ground Water Information Booklet, Saharsa
- ICAR: agro-climatic profile, Purnea and Saharsa zone
- Bihar Bhumi, land records
- Parimarjan, record corrections
- Nibandhan e-services
News
- Prabhat Khabar: new MVR and 7% stamp duty from 19 June 2026
- ACE Update: land acquisition starts for the Patna–Purnia Expressway, 22 Jul 2025
- Prabhat Khabar: Patna–Purnia Expressway approved, 14 Feb 2025
- Railpost: CRS nod for Supaul–Saharsa gauge conversion, 29 Nov 2019
- India TV: Makhana Board launch, 15 Sep 2025
- Down To Earth: eighteen years after the Kosi breach, Aug 2026
- Deccan Herald: Bihar land survey deadline extended
Further reading
- Buying land in Bihar: state guide
- Bihar Bhumi: view Jamabandi online
- Dakhil Kharij (mutation) status in Bihar
- MVR rate in Bihar
Data-currency note: sources were read in November 2026. Project status, the MVR and township rules change often; check the linked source and the relevant office before relying on any figure.
For developers
Ready to explore Saharsa farmland?
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