Pune: Property sale deeds in the state are likely to carry Geographic Information System (GIS) maps from Oct, replacing the decades-old practice of describing plot boundaries through directions and landmarks, senior registration department officials told TOI on Friday.The rollout is expected to begin in select districts before being extended across Maharashtra. “The integration is ongoing between departments and it is likely to be rolled out in some districts first, followed by the entire state,” a senior official said, requesting anonymity.The department of land records has submitted a proposal to state govt for implementing ‘mojini’ (land measurement) before property registration, initially in 10 districts. Once the proposal is approved, the department will prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) and integrate K-Prat, the digital land measurement system, along with the registration department. The system will be implemented in the proposed districts after the integration and other preparations are completed.Officials said the initiative is part of govt’s push to make property registration more transparent and digitally verifiable. A GIS-linked registration system will enable a property mentioned in a sale deed to be linked to its precise location on a digital map.At present, sale deeds generally describe boundaries by referring to the east, west, north and south sides and adjoining survey numbers, roads or buildings. Officials said such descriptions can be ambiguous and have contributed to disputes, particularly where land records are fragmented or claims overlap.“Ultimately, every transaction must be visible on the GIS,” another official said.The proposed system will integrate land ownership records, building footprints and data from multiple govt agencies. Initially, high-resolution satellite imagery with maximum accuracy is expected to be used until ground-level resurvey and mapping is completed.Centre has been working with states on the implementation and has also sought inputs from the GIS industry. States, including Maharashtra, have been asked to develop the technological capacity and infrastructure required for the system.The GIS-linked registration system is expected to complement other reforms, including Aadhaar-linked registration, mandatory prior land measurement in applicable cases and the establishment of model stamp duty offices.Officials emphasised that GIS-linked sale deeds could help with multiple factors, including precise identification, fewer boundary disputes, greater transparency, overlap detection, fraud deterrence, better records and easier future transactions,
