PANAJI — In a comprehensive statement issued to dismantle escalating public rumors, the Department of Land Resources (DoLR), under the Union Ministry of Rural Development, has clarified the scope of the NAKSHA pilot project currently underway in Goa.
Executing the initiative in direct coordination with Goa’s Directorate of Settlement and Land Records (DSLR), the government firmly reiterated that the mapping exercise will not alter, affect, or compromise any existing property titles, boundaries, or official land records.
The Architecture of Project NAKSHA
Implemented under the national Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP), NAKSHA stands for the National Geospatial Knowledge-based Land Survey of Urban Habitations.
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Core Objective: It is strictly a GIS-based urban land parcel mapping initiative. The data collected is designed to enhance municipal town planning, modernize legacy land administration frameworks, and optimize the layout of public utilities across multiple states and Union Territories.
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Data Mapping vs. Acquisition: The DoLR emphasized that NAKSHA is completely distinct from land acquisition frameworks. The government is not taking over private property, nor is the survey designed to increase local property taxes. It merely records physical land features as they exist on the ground.
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Dispute Status: Ongoing legal and boundary disputes will remain completely unaffected by this mapping project and will continue to be adjudicated by the appropriate administrative and judicial courts.
Safeguards for Absentee and Non-Resident Owners
Addressing specific anxieties regarding property vulnerability, the clarification outlined ironclad legal protocols built into the survey framework:
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Non-Resident Protection: The rights of non-resident landowners and Goans residing abroad are fully safeguarded. Physical absence during a drone or ground survey visit does not impact legal ownership rights or put a property at risk.
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Title Supremacy: Property ownership continues to strictly follow established legal titles. The department clarified that no third party or neighbor can claim land simply based on their physical presence during a field survey. The framework includes multiple verification stages and formally notified public viewing windows to protect absent owners.
Inquiry Timeline and Action for Property Owners
Following the successful completion of the physical ground-truthing phase, the project has moved into its formal inquiry and verification stage:
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Inquiry Windows: The legal inquiry process is scheduled to run from July 16 to August 14, 2026.
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Action Required: Property owners are directed to appear before the concerned Inspector at the Office of the Inspector of Survey and Land Records (ISLR), located at the Osia Commercial Arcade, SGPDA Market, Margao.
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Documentation: Citizens should carry valid documents relating to their property titles. The department noted that technical surveying expertise is not required, as appointed officials will guide landholders step-by-step through the verification log.
