Stress on digitisation of land records for better governance

NE states to soon have task force for land governance

Shillong: Digitisation and modernisation of land records is essential for development, the territorial and autonomous district councils of four northeastern states have asserted.

In the recently concluded National Conference on ‘Land Governance in North Eastern States’ held on May 3-4 in Guwahati, the councils in Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and Meghalaya discussed about new-age technologies in making land governance hassle-free.

Ajay Tirkey, Secretary, Department of Land Resources, presided over the National Conference. He informed that a Task Force for Land Governance in North-Eastern States will be constituted after a due process with the approval of Competent Authority after consultation with the various Autonomous District Councils.

The deliberations in the first ever such national conference included sessions on current state practices and modernization of land Records, Land Governance Assessment Framework and a session on Customary and Indigenous Laws, Current Practices and New Initiatives and Role of Survey of India in Land Records Modernisation.

While the initiatives of computerisation and digitisation of land records and maps have shown good progress in the rest part of Assam, it was seen that there are serious gaps in the areas under Bodoland Territorial Council, Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council and Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council.

The Bodoland Land Policy is being framed and is expected to be finalised shortly. Survey and Settlement in the Karbi Anglong areas has not been done. While the Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council has adopted the Assam Land Regulation Act, large tracts of land have non-cadastral area and a need was felt that these areas be surveyed.

The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous Council has eight Districts and about 10,000 sq.km under the Sixth Schedule and 10 customary laws. In the Lai Autonomous District Council areas of Sixth Schedule, a need was felt for survey/resurvey of the areas.

In the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council areas of Meghalaya, land is largely owned by the community. The Garo Hills Autonomous District Council has a system of issuance of annual pattas by District Council. Meghalaya follow the Meghalaya Land Survey and Records Preparation Act 1980.

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