A Step-By-Step Guide To Online Land Records

In India, land disputes and ownership issues have arisen mostly due to poor management of records. Thus, with increasing access to technology, the Indian government has begun to digitise everything including the property registration process and land records management. So, a property buyer can now access and verify all land or property records with a click of a button.

It is an important step to steer clear of any fraudulent transaction. In March this year, the land records in about 192 villages out of 224 villages of Delhi have been digitised by the Delhi government. Some more villages will soon be included, according to the revenue department, once issues are resolved that are hampering computerising land records of 32 villages. The digitally signed records of rights (RoR) are available 24x7 in public domain and can be downloaded by citizens anywhere. 

MakaanIQ familiarises you about how to check land records online:

What are Land records?

‘Land records’ is a broader term and includes the registration of lands, Records of Rights (RoRs), tenancy and crop inspection register, mutation register, disputed cases register, etc. Besides, there is geological information regarding the shape, size and soil-type of the land; and economic information related to irrigation and crops.

The central government had launched the National Land Records Modernization Programme (now called the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme or DILRMP) in August 2008. The programme involves computerization of all land records including mutations, digitization of maps and integration of textual and spatial data, survey/re-survey and updating of all survey and settlement records including creation of original cadastral records wherever necessary, computerization of registration and its integration with the land records maintenance system, development of core Geospatial Information System (GIS) and capacity building.

For more info, click here

Many Indian states have digitised their land records. These include Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. The Delhi government has also begun to digitise land records which are also referred as Bhulekh, Khasra or Khata details. Under the project - Delhi Land Record Online, information about 1,80,000 Khasra and 78,000 properties have been registered online.

How to check your land records?

Let us take an example. The details of a land in Delhi is given below:

Khata Number 10, Asalat pur khawad, Kapashera, South West Delhi, New Delhi

Step 1: Visit the official page of Land Records Department of your state. For Delhi, click on this link - https://www.dlrc.delhigovt.nic.in/

Step 2: Select the district or sub-division where the land is situated. In the present case, the land is in Kapashera area of South West. Delhi.

Step 3: Select the tehsil or village, which is Asalat Pur khawad. Then select the Khata type. Often the land holders are most likely the Bhumidars. The category of Bhumidar consists of land owners who have permanent, heritable and transferable rights to their holdings. Asami is the category of tenants or sub-tenants who held land from the Gaon Samaj. Their rights are heritable but non-permanent and non-transferable.

Step 4: You can search for the details with the help of Khasra Number or the name of the owner. We selected Khata Number 10.

Step 5: Click on View Khata Details to get the required details which also includes the portion of land held by each owner, the Khasra number and the area of the land. Remarks pertaining to any loan undertaken or property being leased out are also mentioned under a separate section. In the present case, it talks about a gift deed which is a document signifying voluntary transfer of a property without any monetary exchange.

You can proceed further to view the Khatauni details.

The benefits of digitising land records

• Easy access to land information: The online database enables citizens to view property land records and its legal status by completely avoiding personal visits to revenue offices. They can cross-check the land status through the maps put up showing the ground situation and can raise their issues in case of any discrepancy.
• Create transparency: The new system aims to implement a land-titling system with title guarantee in order to protect land records and make them tamper-proof, thus avoiding disputes and litigation. The objective is also to provide citizens with accurate land information under a single window, with assurance of data integrity. Encumbrances and frauds in issuance of copies will also be under check.
• Easy maintenance: While digitisation eliminates chances of any grievance caused due to delays, it will also ensure smooth maintenance and updates in the land databases.

Points to remember

The various details mentioned under the online land records include:

• Name of the present owner with registered address
• Land use pattern, specifying if the land is agricultural, residential, passage, government-owned, wasteland, village land or a commercial plot
• Measurement of the land parcel (area in bighas)
• Any land-use conversion that has taken place
• Mortgage applicable or loan released on/ against the land
• Land transfers or transaction related to land
• Government orders issued with respect to the land

The online land records are periodically updated. The documents should be attested by the Tehsil Office otherwise they cannot serve as valid documents that can be produced in court as evidence. Authorized copies can be obtained from the concerned Revenue Department or Tehsil Office, through a formal application and payment of a nominal fee.