This is the largest such exercise in the country using drones to map spatial information.
The first survey of properties in state using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) was launched in Pune district last week. This is the largest such exercise in the country using drones to map spatial information. It will give out firm property titles to residential and other properties in around 40,000 villages, helping residents gain better liquidity on these assets.
The survey was conducted in two villages — Pimpri Sandas and Nhavi Sandas in Pune's Haveli taluka — using a drone fitted with a high-resolution camera. Next week, authorities will launch the project in Satara (Maan and Khatav talukas), Aurangabad (Aurangabad taluka) and Pune (Purandar taluka), with plans to cover 25 villages in the period.
"This will cover sites across Maharashtra, except in Konkan, where it will be carried out post-monsoons due to inclement weather. Compared to the conventional system, this takes just two days of preparatory work and a few minutes for the drone survey," said a senior official from the settlement commissionerate and department of land records.
After this aerial survey, the data will be verified on the ground, and suggestions and objections will be called. An inquiry will be conducted before demarcating the boundaries of properties. The process will culminate with the grant of sanads (ownership documents).
Launched by the settlement commissionerate and department of land records, department of rural development and Survey of India (SOI), this is the first such spatial survey of over 39,000 villages in Maharashtra using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Rs 373 crore project, which will see property cards being issued to all residential and other properties in gaothans (residential areas in villages), is expected to be completed in three years.
It will generate formal ownership records of 1.4 crore properties, ensure land-use planning, create liquid assets for villagers on properties worth thousands of crores, resolve disputes and help move towards clearer land titles. The project will use GIS-based technologies and prevent encroachment on government lands by demarcating their boundaries.
The exercise, which will cover around two-thirds of Maharashtra's population, had been approved by the state cabinet in January. Last year, a pilot project at Sonori village in Pune's Purandar taluka saw an SOI drone being used to map residential areas.
Though surveys of gaothans are undertaken once they cross a threshold population of 2,000, just 3,931 of the over 43,000 villages in Maharashtra have been surveyed, albeit manually, to map out privately-owned and government properties, barren and open land in over 50 years since the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, was approved.
The residents of these 39,733 villages lack formal ownership records and documents except tax receipts issued by the gram panchayats. Hence, banks are unwilling to grant loans on such properties. Lack of a firm title and demarcation of properties also causes disputes.
The official said by September end, the SOI planned to deploy 20 drones, including those which are radar-based to penetrate tree cover and foliage in areas like the Konkan, across Maharashtra for the project, with plans to cover up to five villages a day using a drone. These drones can fly to a height of 120 meters and are fitted with 20 megapixel cameras. At present, the SOI has temporarily earmarked five drones for this project.
The official said the project would be self-sustaining as it would recover the costs from property owners as fees for grant of sanads.
In villages where no surveys have been conducted, gram panchayats maintain registers of property but no spatial information exists.
The land records will be geo-referenced and digitised and the mapping will make planning easy for government agencies. Other benefits include better planning of infra projects, scientific valuation of land and updated property tax records.
The project will also include the establishment of 400 continuous operating reference stations (CORS) for better GPS accuracy of up to 10cm.
A Peek In Time
- Gaothans were classified as wastelands, with only agricultural land being taxed before and during the British era
- Concept of property tax was born after the advent of local self governments during the tenure of Lord Ripon
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