First time after Independence: AP government to undertake massive land survey

In a first after Independence, the Andhra Pradesh government is all set to undertake a comprehensive land survey, which will be aimed at curbing land disputes and enhancing people’s trust in revenue system. The exercise will operate from 70 base stations.

Aimed to curb land disputes and enhance people’s trust in the revenue system, the state government is all set to take up a comprehensive land resurvey. The details of the proposed survey were discussed today at the Tadepalli camp office, at the review meeting organized by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy with revenue department officials.

A first-of-its-kind exercise in the state with modern technology that will operate from 70 base stations working around the clock to cover villages across the state. The resurvey becomes necessary as most of the State’s land records have either been misplaced or lost after 1930.

The officials briefed the CM on the surveyors’ recruitment and their placement in every Mandal. The entire State will have 4,500 teams in total, with every Mandal comprising of one unit of 2 village revenue assistants and one village revenue officer. Furthermore, for land register scrutiny, the officials said that two village revenue officers will be appointed. The CM said that the comprehensive land survey would be taken up at the village secretariat level. The data would be digitized to keep the record clean and transparent besides avoiding duplication.

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A comprehensive land survey will begin from the 1st of January as directed by the CM and be completed by August 2023. The CM also mentioned that awareness of the land survey needs to be put up through grama secretariats across the state. He directed the officials that the Grama secretariat should be made a sub-registered office.

The CM directed the officials to set up all the necessary equipment such as rovers, mobile tribunals, vehicles, and border stones required for resurvey by January 2021. The CM also instructs to place orders for drones that can be used for better photographic evidence. The officials said that the details would then be recorded online as soon as the land survey is done.

Speaking further on the land resurvey, Principal Secretary, Praveen Prakash, said that no state has attempted land resurveys till now. He said that the Government of AP would survey all the land titles using modern technologies like the Drone and rovers in both the urban and rural areas. The Government also passed an enactment towards title assurance. The idea is that once the new survey using the latest technology is done, the Government will assure the title. After ensuring the title, if anything happens, the person will be monetarily compensated.

The officials informed the CM that efforts are being made to resolve the land disputes, which are already pending. Apart from 52,866 disputes in the Revenue Court, they are driving to resolve conflicts related to 79,405 web land errors.

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