AP launches comprehensive land survey for first time in 100 years

YSR Jagananna Shaswata Bhu Hakku/Bhu Raksa is a first-of-its kind land survey initiative taken up by the state government to ensure transparency and end graft in land dealings by providing a unique identification number for every land parcel.

"Land resurvey is being taken up in three phases after 100 years in a fool-proof manner by involving the Survey of India and appointing 16,000 surveyors. Clean land records are required to punish fraudsters. We are creating a revolutionary change by setting up registration offices at the village level. Steps have been taken to set up mobile tribunals, too, to resolve the land issues. The survey will be taken up by hybrid methods such as drones, rovers, and CORS," Jagan said.

A team comprising officials from the Survey of India and the revenue, panchayat raj, and municipal administration departments will jointly conduct the survey in three phases. The survey will cover 1.26 crore acres of agricultural land in 17,000 villages, 85 lakh government and private lands within the limits of 13,371 gramakantam lands, 40 lakh government and private properties, and 10 lakh plots in 110 urban areas. In phase 1, nearly 5,000 villages will be covered by July 2021.

For the first time in India, landowners will be given a title deed for their land along with a map in digital format and a passbook. With every new survey, accurate revenue records will be prepared for every immovable property with the exact latitude and longitude using advanced instruments like drones, continuous operating reference stations (CORS), and rovers. A digitised cadastral map will be prepared after the completion of the survey and all details of the lands in the village will be in the maps, the government said.

With an aim to set up 70 base stations, 4,500 teams will conduct the survey. They will further be divided into teams consisting of village and ward secretariat secretary and surveyors. About 14,000 surveyors will take part in the survey with 420 people who have already been fully trained. Survey stones will be installed once the marking of the land is completed. Earlier, Jagan had directed that sub-registrar offices will also be at the village secretariat level where the digital property register and title register will be made available.

Sending a strong message to those creating issues in the survey initiative, Jagan said this survey is only to reorganise the chaotic land records that have been pending for so many years. He stressed the need to protect the lands of people and farmers from encroachers.