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Governments Plan to Modernise Urban Land and Property Records

Rishabh Chamoli | 2023-07-21

The central government is devising a scheme to assist states and Union territories (UTs) in modernising their land and property records in urban areas. The aim is to streamline the system, establish uniformity in record keeping, and enhance transparency in land transactions. This initiative follows the successful implementation of the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP) and the PM SVAMITVA scheme in rural areas.

Collaborative Efforts to Enhance Citizen-Friendly Processes
To achieve their goal, the governments public policy think tank, NITI Aayog, has brought together the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and the Ministry of Rural Development, responsible for implementing the DILRMP. Their joint efforts are directed towards exploring solutions to improve land transactions and related processes in urban areas, making them more citizen friendly.

Consultations with States and Union Territories
In a series of consultations, 18 states and UTs have discussed with the authorities. These sessions were held on 28 June and recently, with the possibility of further consultations in the future. The MoHUA officials have disclosed that potential solutions will be presented during a chief secretarie meeting, to be chaired by PM Narendra Modi, tentatively scheduled for October or November.

Challenges in Urban Land and Property Records
A major challenge faced in urban areas is the lack of cadastral maps, detailed revenue maps, leading to unsynchronised land and property records. This discrepancy can result in property mutation and land dispute resolution issues.

DILRMP and PM-SVAMITVA
The DILRMP, a flagship programme of the rural development ministry, has been issuing Unique Land Parcel Identification Numbers (ULPIN), also known as Bhu Aadhaar, to rural land parcels since 2016. Meanwhile, the PM SVAMITVA scheme, implemented by the Panchayati raj ministry, involves issuing property cards to residents in rural areas.

Learning from Other States
During the recent consultation, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and MP showcased their systems for land and property record reforms. The MoHUA official mentioned the possibility of adopting similar systems to address urban land record challenges by studying best practices from other states.

Some states have already taken steps towards modernisation. Earlier this year, the Madhya Pradesh (MP) government initiated a pilot project that employs drones to prepare geo referenced land maps along with property details for different types of residential settlements in urban areas.