Urban Land Records: Evolving for Rapid Urbanization

New Delhi, Oct 22 (PTI) Urban land records should be evolved to meet the demands of rapid urbanisation of cities and land administration must keep pace to ensure equitable development, Minister of State for Rural Development Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said on Tuesday.

Addressing the concluding session of a two-day workshop here, the minister emphasized that more than administrative tools, accurate land records are the backbone of socio-economic planning, public service delivery and conflict resolution.

"Just as rural land records evolved, urban land management must also rise to meet the demand of rapid urbanisation of cities and land administration must keep pace to ensure equitable development," Pemmasani said.

"We now stand at a pivotal moment in urban governance where technology meets opportunity. More than tools like Drones, aircraft-based surveys and satellite imagery offer unparalleled precision. By deploying these tools we reduce human errors, increase efficiency and collect consistent up-to-date data in the most challenging urban environment," he said.

He also said India has made significant strides with initiatives such as the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP), and has digitized Records of Rights (RoR) across over 6.25 lakh villages, launched the Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN), also known as Bhu-Aadhaar, and created a seamless integration between revenue and registration systems.

"As rural land records evolve, urban land management must also rise to meet the demands of rapid urbanization," he said.

The Department of Land Resources has sanctioned a pilot programme called the "National Geospatial Knowledge-based land Survey of Urban Habitations (NAKSHA)" with a view to creating Land Records in about 130 cities in all the States / UTs within an expected time of one year to be followed by more phases to complete the whole exercise in about 4900 Urban Local Bodies within an expected period of 5 years.

The workshop on Modern Technologies in Survey-Resurvey for Urban Land Records was organized with a view to consult experts from other countries on the creation and collation of land records, discuss and understand the global best practices in the usage of new and emerging technologies for the benefit of the stakeholders, especially the representatives of State Governments.