INDIA GROWTH STORY: Maps of Pune land records to be available on net

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Maps of Pune land records to be available on net

28 January 2008

Pune, January 27 The State Settlement and Land Records Directorate will soon make available maps of all land records of Pune district on the internet. The move is a part of its plan to computerise all the land records in the State, bring in “more transparency” in maintaining land records and help reduce land disputes in view of the sky-rocketing land rates. The Directorate has already successfully launched the online facility for 7 X 12 extracts and property cards.

The Central Government has selected Pune district in the State to implement pilot project under its National Land Resource Management Programme (NLRMP). The project, to be executed in three years, is estimated to cost Rs 66 crore.

The State Government had launched its online facility for 7 by12 extracts and property cards of seven districts on its website www.mahabhulekh.nic.in which is updated every fortnight. The facility was started from Pune city and is now available for municipal corporations of Mumbai suburban, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Raigad, Nashik and Latur. The data entry for the same facility in other district has been completed and its verification is currently going on before it is uploaded on the internet.

“The land records are as old as 100 years and likely to vanish despite efforts to preserve them. Thus, the land map records will be preserved electronically and made available on the internet,” Shailesh Kumar Sharma, Settlement Commissioner, said.

Though the records will be scanned to preserve electronically, he said extra efforts would also be made for proper maintenance of the records on paper. The maps will be digitised and composite 7 X 12 extracts and property card along with the maps will be available on the internet, Sharma added.

The satellite images from the Nagpur-based Maharashtra Remote Sensing agency will be superimposed on the available maps. There will be district land resource centre in each district that will interconnect with the sub-registration office and tehsil office. All the district land resource centre will later be connected to the state land resource management cell for continuous updation.

“The union government has disbursed Rs 3.4 crore of the Rs 66 crore for purchasing latest equipment for implementation of project and for training staff,” Sharma said, adding, the department has begun its work in Khed taluka on experimental basis.