The much-publicised land resurvey project (YSR Jagananna Saswatha Bhoomi Hakku - Bhoomi Rakshana) is quite ambiguous to a majority of people, while some sections among intellectuals hail it as ‘essential’ and ‘need of the hour.’
Coming up with a sea of technical jargon and software, after a hiatus of 101 years, the land survey has already commenced in Chittoor district on a pilot basis. The exercise is going to be a very tough job as the three-layered project, spread over the coming two years, is a rehash of the land maps with precision to overcome the hazy markings of the erstwhile British colonial era, say revenue officials.
Observers, on the other hand, say the project is bound to generate both pros and cons, besides assuming political overtones.
The resurvey covers three revenue divisions – Chittoor, Tirupati and Madanapalle – in the Chittoor district 1,540 revenue villages spread in 5.52 lakh survey numbers in 1,1950.57 sq.km. The total landholdings are 36.18 lakh. The resurvey will be completed in three phases starting from January 2020 till October 2022. It will cover forests, hills, village tanks, agriculture lands and landed properties of both government and private sectors.
A Survey of India official says, "It will not leave an inch of land. Our job is to prepare the maps and give them to the State government."
The resurvey will be done by three teams, each handing drone operations, ground control establishment and fixing of high precision levels.
Resurvey in-charge (Chittoor district) B. Giri says one of the major advantages of the project is that the maps will furnish the exact details of the landholdings. "The confusion over lands since three or four generations will be cleared. Each landholder will be provided with a title certificate in a very scientific manner. The resurveyed land details will be linked to 24 satellites and accessed round the clock. For instance, the title holder can get a bank loan with just one click of the mouse by bank authorities, thus avoiding the encumbrance surveys each time a loan application is made," he adds.
A senior official in the water resource wing maintains that the resurvey will bring a plethora of benefits on the development front. "If we want to have a new irrigation project or dig a canal, a regular survey will take at least six months. But, with the resurveyed data, our job will be over in just a couple of days," he says. The same will be applicable to any mega venture such as roads, tramways and railways.
