Satellite,aerial images of properties in Punjab to be used for demarcation

The new system intends to combine the systems which have been initiated separately into one comprehensible whole that helps the citizen feel secure about a property deal.

Over the past decade,land records have been largely computerized in Punjab. However these are yet to be made available online and exist largely in standalone computers in districts. Sources add that the system has faced problems in standardization of mutations. Due to increased urbanization and fragmentation of land,it has been found that people have sold beyond their shares resulting in the fractions totaling up beyond the area on ground.

The process of digitization of village maps was initiated some years ago and almost half of the 70000 sheets of the 12000 village maps have been traced into computers. These have to be however authenticated by the revenue officials. Currently there is also no system for updating these with land transactions which renders the whole exercise unfit as a base for day to day use. Village maps even if digitized do not show the current and updates status of the property.

“New technologies have made possible the most tedious and hindering work of survey of field boundaries by use of precision aerial photography that can mark field boundaries with an accuracy of 2 inches. Satellite images are available off the shelf at not an astronomical cost with accuracy of 40cm,” said Sarvjit Singh,revenue secretary Punjab.

Sources add that the process has been successfully tested in Bihar to accurately survey agricultural land parcels and in Mumbai,to map urban properties. But the imagery has not been linked with the land records till now. In Punjab the digitized village maps will be linked with the record of rights and then overlapped with satellite imagery and aerial photography.

The move is also likely will also bring an end to the monopoly of the sub-registrar’s office over it’s geographical jurisdiction. Orissa and Andhra allow deeds to be registered anywhere in the district and may shortly be moving to anywhere in the state too.

Andhra with a revenue of Rs. 6500 crore and 462 registration offices and Orissa with only Rs. 450 crore revenue and 177 offices are making use of the present technology have switched to a single state level computing and storage hub (Server) to which are linked all the sub-registrars which facilitates giving option to the buyers and sellers to register sale deeds,wherever they wish.