Kolkata, Oct 3: The West Bengal government will undertake a statewide survey of vested government land to establish how much remains under state possession and how much has been encroached upon, with the exercise also aimed at facilitating recovery of illegally occupied plots.
The West Bengal Land Records & Survey Directorate, under the state Land & Land Revenue Department, will conduct the exercise across the state. Officials said the survey will establish the precise boundaries of each parcel of government-vested land and determine the extent of land currently held by the government and the portion under encroachment.
The department has decided to install permanent poles or pillars along the boundaries of land recovered through the process to help maintain the state government’s possession of those plots.
Officials said government records contain details of large tracts of vested land, but there is currently uncertainty over how much of the recorded area remains with the state and how much has been occupied. They said some parcels under different state government departments had remained unused for years and were subsequently encroached upon by individuals or institutions.
The survey comes as the state government moves to attract large investments through a new land policy. According to a department official, the investment initiative could require sizeable parcels of land at a time, making it necessary to identify and recover encroached vested land.
The Land Records & Survey Directorate has already issued a request for proposal, or tender, to appoint an expert agency to carry out the work. Once completed, the exercise will provide the administration with information on the precise location, area and boundaries of government-vested land.
The department will use global navigation satellite systems to conduct the survey with greater accuracy. The government has set a six-month deadline for completing the statewide exercise.
The survey is therefore expected to create a clearer record of the government’s actual possession of vested land and the extent of encroachment, while enabling the administration to identify parcels that may be recovered for future requirements.
