The Revenue department will kick-start State-level ‘survey sabhas’ modelled on the lines of grama sabhas on Wednesday as part of launching a digital survey of lands in 1,550 villages where the resurvey works are yet to commence.
The digital survey of lands, which begins on November 1, is expected to be completed in four years. The survey sabhas to be organised with the support of the Local Self-Governments department will create awareness about the drive among the people as public support is required for completing the resurvey works on time, said Revenue Minister K. Rajan at a press conference here on Tuesday.
As part of the drive, as many as 200 survey sabhas will be convened in various villages in October. The State-level inauguration of the survey sabha will be done by Minister for Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh on Wednesday.
“The purpose of digital surveying is not just to complete the land survey. Rather, it aims at preparing a digital repository of land data, including geospatial data, which can be used for different purposes of various departments, apart from ensuring the rights of land owners, with accurate measurements of the property,” said the Minister.
Though the resurvey proceedings were started in 1966, it could not be completed even after 56 years due to the lack of advanced technology and deficiency of traditional survey methods. It is in this context that the Kerala government has decided to start a digital land survey called ‘Ente Bhoomi’ by utilising the most modern technologies and completing it in a timely manner, said Mr. Rajan.
The project is estimated to cost ₹858 crore, and a sum of ₹438.46 crore has already been sanctioned for the Survey department from the Rebuild Kerala initiative for coordinating the first phase of works. The process to appoint 4,700 survey employees for four years for completing the works is in the final stages.
The Minister also appealed to the public to cooperate with the officials during the resurvey by providing documents sought by survey officers for inspection and pointing out the boundaries for the resurvey.
