The roll-out in six districts is expected to cost around Rs 230 crore, while for the state, it will be Rs 1,500 crore. The state is planning to source funding from the Government of India's Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP).
Over 150 years after the last comprehensive survey of land across Maharashtra was launched, the state government will undertake satellite mapping of rural land and digitisation of these maps.
The survey will initially be launched initially in six districts -- Raigad, Pune, Amravati, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Nashik. It will eventually cover the entire 3.07 lakh square km area of Maharashtra. Of this, 2.85 lakh sq km area comprise the rural areas.
The roll-out in six districts is expected to cost around Rs 230 crore, while for the state, it will be Rs 1,500 crore. The state is planning to source funding from the Government of India's Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP).
The land records reform project will help the transition from the current system, under which only a presumptive title of land is provided, to one where title is clear and ownership is guaranteed to reduce litigation and disputes.
It will check cheating as buyers will be able to locate their land parcels on maps with plans to ensure that, finally, holdings can be geo-mapped and geo-referenced with latitude and longitude. It will also introduce ease of doing business for corporate houses and individuals.
Apart from 55.58 lakh property cards in urban areas, Maharashtra has 2.11 crore holders of rural 'records of rights,' which are also called 7/12 extracts.
"We are in the process of issuing the request for proposals (RFPs)... this will be done in around a month," said Sambhajirao Kadu Patil, settlement commissioner and director of land records. He added that the project will cover satellite mapping, digitisation of maps and 'ground truthing'.
"This will ensure that ownership on paper will actually be reflected on the ground," Patil said, noting that there was a huge variation in title and measurement of land on paper records and what actually existed on the ground.
"Satellite images will be superimposed on maps in our records to see the difference... and ground-mouthing of these images will be done to tally them with the situation on ground," Patil said.
While the six districts were expected to be covered in three years, Maharashtra will be covered in five years.
"The project will be self-supporting as the 'sand' (document which gives certain rights to land owners) and maps will be given to land holders for Rs 300 per acre," Patil explained.
The department will use dispute resolution committees at the village level to overcome disputes. These maps will be accurate to a distance of 30 cm on ground.
During the British era, the first comprehensive survey of land was launched in 1860 and completed in 1890. In 1930, a revision survey was conducted to map those patches which were not covered and a re-survey was conducted in Vidarbha in 1974.
The revenue department had launched a pilot project in 12 villages around Pirangut at Mulshi in Pune, which has a mix of industrial, commercial, agricultural land. This was concluded in August 2014.
All 7/12 extracts in Maharashtra have been computerised and e-mutations--process of changing and updating details like ownership in the land records—have been launched in 315 of 358 talukas.
Officials say the aim is to give conclusive title as India has no Land Titling Act, unlike in the US and some European countries.
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 "satellite mapping, Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP), Maharashtra Government,")
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