Chandigarh: For providing a modern legal framework for survey and recording of ownership rights in habitation areas (abadi deh) of villages, which have historically remained outside formal land records, the central govt on Wednesday adopted the Punjab Abadi Deh (Record of Rights) Act, 2021, for UT Chandigarh.The Act is expected to bring clarity in ownership, reduce disputes and support better land administration and planned urban development.The abadi deh area in Chandigarh has remained without recording of rights of the proprietors, preparation of record, or the marking of boundaries by carrying out a survey. This has over the years resulted in disputes about demarcation of boundaries and identification of rights in the dwelling and other areas, besides causing hardship in the effective transfer of rights.The extension of this Act is also aligned with the Govt of India’s NAKSHA (National Geospatial Knowledge-based Urban Habitation Land Survey) Programme, under which Chandigarh has been identified as a pilot area for geospatial land surveys.“Abadi deh” refers to habitation areas, traditionally part of village settlements, which have historically remained outside formal land revenue records, resulting in lack of clarity in ownership rights and prevalence of land-related disputes.The Act provides a comprehensive legal framework for survey, identification and recording of ownership rights, which is expected to reduce disputes, improve land administration and support planned urban development.This law provides for scientific survey and demarcation of abadi deh/habitation areas using modern geospatial technologies, enabling accurate mapping of land parcels.Ownership of each land parcel will be identified and recorded, thereby providing legal recognition to existing possession and reducing uncertainty in ownership.A formal Record of Rights will be prepared with legal sanctity, ensuring reliability and authenticity of land records.Provision for objections, appeals and revision ensures a structured and transparent process for addressing disputes and claims.This law will enable identification of common and public land, helping prevent encroachments and reduce disputes.Final records will be integrated with the revenue record system, strengthening overall land administration and improving efficiency.The extension does not create any new offences, taxes or financial liabilities, and does not affect the jurisdiction of courts.“The preparation of this record would provide for development of the abadi deh that preserves the heritage of the village to the extent possible, provide and upgrade civic services and environment in villages to integrate them with planned urban development, enhance the land value by improving the layout and provide a road map for development norms for villages in an easy and simple manner,” said a senior UT official.
