The digital land resurvey and mapping of villages in Alappuzha district will begin this week.
S. Ansad, Assistant Director, Resurvey, Alappuzha, said Pulinkunnu village in Kuttanad taluk would be surveyed first using drone cameras.
"Survey activities will get under way in the district on February 7 or 8. After Pulinkunnu, Veliyanad village will be surveyed. Drones will be used in places having less tree cover. The remaining areas will be surveyed using other techniques such as Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) and Electronic Total Station (ETS) machines," Mr. Ansad said.
Landowners have been asked to clear border areas of their properties for the drone survey. Owners have also been directed to mark borders by painting the upper portion of wall. Properties without a wall should mark their borders by placing painted bricks or hollow bricks.
The Department of Survey and Land Records is implementing the project with technical support from the Survey of India. Various government departments and agencies are part of the State-wide initiative.
Officials said of the total land, 20% would be surveyed as part of the ‘Survey of villages abadi and mapping with improvised technology in village areas’ (SVAMITVA) scheme. It is a Central government scheme aimed at establishment of clear ownership of property in rural inhabited areas by mapping land parcels using drone technology and providing record of rights (RoR) to village household owners.
Rest 80% of the land will be surveyed using the Rebuild Kerala fund. The department is banking on continuously operating reference stations (CORS) satellite-based imagery technique, and RTK and ETS machines for the survey.
The project is aimed at unifying land-related documentation and interlinking the services of the Revenue, Survey, and Registration departments through the Revenue Land Information System. The completion of the resurvey will enable the issue of RoR, settlement of land-related disputes, and accurate documentation and sketches pertaining to land. It will also help prevent encroachments on government land and better disaster response.
The resurvey of villages is expected to be completed in four-and-a-half years.
