PANJIM: The Directorate of Settlement and Land Records (DSLR) has moved forward with the digital land survey in three major municipal areas including a corporation, with an aim to modernise records un-touched for nearly 50 years. However, even as the NAKSHA (National Geospatial Knowledge-based Land Survey of Urban Habitations) pilot project officially commenced on January 6, 2026, with an expected completion by March this year, the initiative has triggered mixed reactions from legal experts regarding its practical application and legal standing in existing property disputes.
Speaking on the survey programme, North Goa Collector Ankit Yadav, IAS, said that urban land records across the country suffer from fragmentation, outdated data and lack of coordination among multiple agencies.
The survey is expected to bring clarity in land ownership and help resolve land-related disputes in urban areas.
Director of Settlement and Land Records Chandrakant Shetkar said that land surveys in the State have not been updated for nearly 50 years. The survey will be conducted in the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), Margao and Cuncolim, along with surrounding rural areas.
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In CCP, nine adjoining rural areas including Taleigao, Durgawadi, Bambolim, Calapor, Cujira and Morombi-O-Grande-will be covered. Around Margao, the rural areas of Nuvem, Raia, Seraulim, Navelim, Aquem and Davorlim will be included, while three rural areas surrounding the Cuncolim Municipal Council will also be surveyed.
Shetkar said the digital survey would aid better urban planning, improve disaster management, enhance municipal services, protect government properties and help control encroachments.
Reacting to the digital land survey, Adv Mahendra Alornekar said, “It is a policy decision of the government which has to make good use of data. The government should preserve wetlands, hillocks and all natural resources. In Goa we have cadastral surveys which are of great benefit. This survey however will have no bearing on title documents.”
Adv Kapil Kerkar said, “What will be the solution if there is a boundary dispute between two neighbours. What will the government officials do? Will they keep the survey in such areas pending? When the boundaries are not clear and there are legal disputes over it this survey will have no bearing and will not stand the test of law.”
NAKSHA is a pilot project launched by the Department of Land Resources to create accurate and up-to-date land records in urban areas, empower citizens, improve ease of living and enable scientific urban planning. Under the programme, three different technologies will be used for aerial surveys based on terrain and population density.
In Panjim, Technology 1 will be deployed, involving large-scale 2D mapping using a nadir camera to generate orthophoto imagery (ORI) and digital elevation models (DEM), covering 2.7 per cent of the area.
Technology 2 will be used in Margao, involving oblique angle cameras (five cameras) without LiDAR sensors to generate ORI, DEM, 3D reality models and 3D GIS datasets, covering 4.7 per cent of the area. Technology 3 will be utilised in Cuncolim, using oblique angle cameras along with LiDAR sensors to generate ORI, DEM, 3D reality models and 3D GIS datasets, covering 3.3 per cent of the area.
Shetye clarified that the inclusion of rural areas does not mean their conversion into urban areas. He said misinformation is being spread among the public and clarified that rural areas have been included only to meet area and population criteria under the project. He also pointed out that while Goa accounts for just 0.1 per cent of the country’s total geographical area, nearly 3 per cent of the total area selected for the NAKSHA project nationwide is from Goa. The survey will help achieve the goal of ‘ease of governance’, support the ‘one nation, one technology’ vision under Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP), and serve as a landmark initiative under the National Geospatial Mission proposed in the Union Budget 2025-26.
“The project will also enable accurate surveys of inaccessible or disputed sites and allow seamless integration of existing property records with higher accuracy,” Shetkar added. The Government of India launched the programme under the DILRMP through the Department of Land Resources as a pilot project in 152 urban local bodies across the country. The initiative is being implemented with the active cooperation of the Revenue and Urban Development Departments of States and Union Territories.
