Monjur Morshed Tuhin ( Patuakhali )

A digital land survey has begun in Patuakhali Mouza No. 26 (SA Mouza No. 38) under Patuakhali Sadar Upazila to prevent land-related complications, including boundary disputes, errors in land records, discrepancies in land measurements and omissions of ownership information. To ensure accurate land measurements and reliable records, the authorities concerned are also disseminating guidelines and precautionary instructions to raise awareness among landowners. Active participation at every stage—from the initial survey and draft record verification to objections, appeals and collection of final land records—has been emphasized.

The survey was formally inaugurated on Tuesday morning, October 27, by Patuakhali Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Chowdhury Ashraful Karim at a ceremony held in the conference room of the Deputy Commissioner's Office. He inaugurated the programme by releasing balloons and operating digital land-survey equipment. The event was organized by the Patuakhali Zonal Settlement Office under the Department of Land Records and Surveys.

Among those present were Assistant Superintendent of Police Md. Apu Sarwar, representing the Superintendent of Police; Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension Dr. Mohammad Amanul Islam; Advocate Sharif Md. Salahuddin, representing Patuakhali-1 Member of Parliament Altaf Hossain Chowdhury; District Secondary Education Officer Muha. Mujibur Rahman; District Ansar Commandant Md. Rubel Hossain; Government Pleader (GP) Md. Abdullah Yusuf; and officials from various government and private institutions, along with media representatives.

The programme began at 9:30 am with the reception of guests and seating arrangements. Following recitation from religious scriptures at 10:00 am, acting Zonal Settlement Officer of the Patuakhali Zone Md. Al-Muktadir Hossain delivered the welcome address. At 10:15 am, Surveyor (Grade-I) Md. Zahid Hossain presented an overview of the opportunities and challenges associated with the digital survey of Patuakhali Mouza.

Special guests delivered their speeches at 10:30 am, followed by the chairperson's address. The chief guest delivered his speech and formally declared the survey open at 11:25 am, followed by an open discussion. The inauguration was completed with the release of balloons and a demonstration of the digital land-survey equipment.

To ensure the accuracy of the digital survey, the Upazila Settlement Office in Patuakhali Sadar has issued stage-by-stage guidelines for landowners. According to the instructions, once the survey notification or proclamation is issued, every landowner must identify and mark the boundaries and ridges of their respective plots. They must also cooperate with survey personnel by allowing access to the land and assisting with measurements and the collection of necessary information.

During the preparation of maps, landowners must accurately identify their land boundaries and monitor whether the maps are being prepared correctly. They have been advised to take initiatives to resolve boundary disputes with neighbouring landowners in advance. Mutual cooperation has also been encouraged when preparing maps of land belonging to absent owners. Survey personnel have been instructed to exercise caution to avoid damaging crops during surveys of agricultural land.

Landowners must provide accurate information, including plot numbers, the owner's full address, post office name, mobile phone number and National Identity Card details. They must also remain vigilant to ensure that a sharecropper, mortgagee, tenant or caretaker is not mistakenly recorded as the owner in place of the actual landowner. If an owner's name is omitted from the record, the concerned person should be informed and senior officials of the survey department should be notified.

If the land area recorded in the field record is found to be less or more than the actual measurement, landowners must immediately inform the survey personnel. Where necessary, arrangements can be made for remeasurement by depositing the prescribed badr fee into the government treasury. If a dispute arises, a formal dispute application must be submitted. Landowners have also been asked to cooperate in ensuring that government land is correctly recorded.

At the draft publication stage, known as the DP stage, landowners must carefully verify their respective records and maps. They should check whether the owner's name, land area and plot numbers are correct and whether the information in the record matches the survey map. If any error is found, an objection must be filed through the prescribed procedure, and the applicant should collect a receipt. The objection application must include the full addresses, post office names and mobile phone numbers of both parties.

Upon receiving a notice for a hearing on an objection or appeal, the concerned parties must appear at the designated time with the necessary documents. Those dissatisfied with a ruling or order on an objection have been instructed to obtain a certified copy of the relevant case records and file an appeal within 30 days, in accordance with the applicable instructions. If relief is not obtained at the appeal stage, the matter may be taken to the Land Survey Tribunal, where applicable.

During final publication, landowners must collect printed copies of their land records, known as porchas, and survey maps at the prescribed prices and keep them safely. Applications for correction may be submitted if clerical errors or fraudulent alterations to the records are discovered. Even after publication of the government gazette notification, anyone with objections to the records should check whether a Land Survey Tribunal has been established for the relevant area and seek legal remedies accordingly.

The authorities concerned have emphasized that landowners' awareness, active participation and provision of accurate information at every stage of the survey are essential to preparing reliable land records. Timely identification of boundaries, keeping relevant documents ready and carefully verifying records throughout the process will help prevent future land-related complications.