A new system of surveying, using Global Positioning System (GPS) and Electronic Total Stations, is in progress in districts including Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirupur and The Nilgiris, according to Revenue Minister Thoppu N.D. Venkatachalam.
Addressing a conference of State Revenue Ministers in New Delhi on Thursday, Mr. Venkatachalam [the text of whose speech was released in Chennai] said that on a pilot basis one village was chosen and, using the experience gained, the system — Modern Surveying — extended.
Also, preliminary work had commenced in 11 municipalities as part of the decision to implement the system of modern surveying initially in newly-created or redrawn municipal areas. Among the urban local bodies were Valasaravakkam, Ambasamudram, Perambalur, Tirupparankundram, Gudalur (Theni), Keezhakarai and Narasingapuram (Salem).
Under this project, land records had to be prepared afresh by adopting Town Survey System. Action had been taken to establish Modern Survey Scheme Offices in eight districts.
The Minister informed the conference that under the National Land Records Modernisation Programme (NLRMP), efforts were being made to create Land Record Management Centres in 10 taluks of Kancheepuram district and 11 of Tirunelveli district and form a NLRMP cell at the Survey Training Institute, Orathanadu.
A special drive would be launched to update land records on completion of data entry of land records of urban areas. In respect of rural areas, the computerisation work had been carried out.
The State National Informatics Centre (NIC) had been entrusted with the responsibility of developing Web-based software applications for online management of land records. On receipt of detailed project proposal from the NIC, funds would be sought under NLRMP from the Centre.
Pointing out that in Tamil Nadu, the Survey Department was in-charge of the preparation of land records and the Revenue and Survey departments were maintaining them, he advocated continuing with the system, which was “working fine”.
