State to have tamper-proof land records soon

VIJAYAWADA: The re-survey of land, taken up by the State government on a pilot basis in Jaggaiahpet mandal of Krishna district and soon to be extended to the entire State, will enable the preparation of tamper-proof land records and provide several benefits to landowners, according to N Prabhakara Reddy, director, Survey, Settlements and Land Records.

The government is using modern technology and a ‘Continuously Operating Reference Station’ to get accurate results, the official told TNIE, adding that this will help prepare tamper-proof records and put an end to encroachments.As soon as the re-survey is completed, a Field Management Book will be generated and each piece of land will be given a land parcel number.

“As all data of the land will be digitised, the re-survey would be a permanent solution, helping avoid land disputes in the future. As of now, there are several illegal land transactions and instances of changing land records without the knowledge of the actual landowners,” he said.“But we will collect farmers’ mobile numbers and develop a system to send them text messages like the ones banks send after transactions. If changes are made to a farmer’s land records, an SMS will be sent, informing the owner about the change and asking if it was done with his/her knowledge. Changes will be made to land records only after getting the farmer/landowner’s consent.’’

Reddy further said all land, except under the jurisdiction of the forest department and habitations will be re-surveyed under the exercise free of cost. The exercise will also simplify the process of land acquisition for development and industrial purposes, he added.

For instance, if APIIC decides to allocate land to an investor, data of the land APIIC has would be made available on the system, and officials can go through the map of the land and pass land allocation orders at the earliest, Reddy explained.

Stating that the Re Survey Register, prepared based on the land survey in Andhra Pradesh from 1860 to 1930, is still on the basis of revenue records, the official said that though there has been an increase in the number of land transactions and reduction of land holding size, data in the revenue records does not match the actual field data.