Pune: Kharadi Property Records to Go Digital by September, Says Maharashtra Land Records Department
Kharadi, 23rd June 2025: In a major boost to urban land governance, the Settlement Commissioner and Director of Land Records, Maharashtra, has initiated a large-scale digitisation drive in Pune’s Kharadi area. Over 13,300 properties spread across 785 hectares will soon have digital property cards accessible via the state’s Mahabhumi portal.
The project is being carried out under the Central Government’s SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) scheme, which was launched in 2019 to enhance transparency in land ownership records. Kharadi, now within the jurisdiction of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), is the first urban zone in Pune district to be taken up for the initiative.
“In February, we deployed nearly 60 officials drawn from districts like Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, and Kolhapur to conduct field-level verifications,” said Suhas Diwase, Settlement Commissioner, Maharashtra. “The data collection process is in its final stages, and we are confident of uploading the digital property cards by August or September.”
According to Diwase, the verification involves modern technology such as drone surveys, Electronic Total Stations (ETS), rovers, and GIS-enabled city survey software. The department has accelerated what is usually a multi-year process to be completed within four months.
Deputy Director of Urban Land Measurement, Rajendra Gole, added that the new digital property cards will not only carry the names of property owners but will also include declarations of ownership and housing society details. “This step ensures authenticity, reduces scope for fraud, and provides clarity for both individual owners and local authorities,” he noted.
The department, in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre, conducted a successful pilot project in Kharadi. Mapping and surveying were completed within two months and formally validated by the PMC in November last year. By late January, notices were sent to property holders initiating the verification phase.
Replacing the traditional 7/12 land extracts, the digital cards will serve as definitive ownership proof and will be integrated with tax records and land-use maps. Officials believe the shift will support better urban planning, infrastructure rollout, tax assessment, and even disaster response using high-precision 3D GIS maps.
“The learnings from Kharadi will help us replicate the model in 23 more villages recently merged under PMC’s boundaries,” Gole added.
This initiative marks a significant step in modernising urban land administration in Maharashtra and is expected to set a precedent for other municipal areas in the state.
