Goanet Digest, Vol 21, Issue 329

Send Goanet mailing list submissions to
	[email protected]

To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
	http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
	[email protected]

You can reach the person managing the list at
	[email protected]

When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of Goanet digest..."


Today's Topics:

   1. Laksh on NAKSHA (GERARD DESOUZA)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2026 02:30:05 +0000
From: GERARD DESOUZA <gerardsgazette-0C6mNlnCMQpWk0Htik3J/[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Goanet] Laksh on NAKSHA
Message-ID: <20260712023005.3.9c7651da01b244a4-tmoPwdM+tZgM1iHqa8znS9BPR1lH4CV8@public.gmane.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

View this post on the web at https://gerardsgazette.substack.com/p/laksh-on-naksha

Hi guys
It?s me again. Your weekly reminder that the world is going to shit. We?ve gone from sun to rain and back to sun all within a span of one week and this time it might stay this way for some time (they say). Now, I try to ensure that this newsletter is simply not just a round up of all the bullshit that was spoken this week, but you?ll soon discover, that?s not always possible. It?s simply not avoidable. But let?s not lose heart. The top story this week is something you better pay attention to (if you haven?t already) and if you believe that you are one of the affected parties, I could perhaps help you join cause with one of the ongoing campaigns.
So without further ado, let?s dive in.
Welcome to yet another edition of Gerard?s Gazette, a weekly newsletter in which I attempt to break down the events of the week gone by and offer a bit of context, as well as a dose of news you may have missed and news behind the news.
Thanks for reading GERARD?s Gazette! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
If this is your first time here, thank you for signing up, and I hope you stick around! And, as always, if you like what you are reading, make sure you pass it around.
The NAKSHA survey: What?s actually going on
As you may be aware, the Government of India is currently conducting what is known as the NAKSHA survey of which certain villages and urban areas of Goa have been made a part of a pilot project viz. Panaji, Bambolim, Cujira, Calapor (separate revenue villages which form a the Santa Cruz panchayat), Durgawaddo (Taleigao), Taleigao, Morombi-o-grande, Morombi-o-pequeno, Renovadi, Murda (all of which make up the Merces village panchayat), Margao, Aquem, Davorlim, Navelim, Nuvem, Seraulim, Raia, Cuncolim city, Veroda and Ambelim.
Now if you, like me, are not a resident of or own property in any of these villages, it is possible that you have not paid much interest to what?s really going on and as such, this piece is to help disabuse you of any notions that you may harbour that this is a harmless exercise being conducted by the government.
What is it?
For starters, let?s delve into what it actually is. NAKSHA (NAtional geospatial Knowledge-based land Survey of Urban HAbitations) is a national initiative launched by the Department of Land Resources under the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP) in September 2024 to address critical gaps in urban and peri-urban land records.
According to  the official website [ https://substack.com/redirect/2b929565-e894-49eb-870d-b5cc5ea09416?j=eyJ1IjoiMTdkMzMzIn0.fgOj6myyAgvFoWmj-LgXwMrpDLUf7f7HnFNWVfgXm9c ], it aims to revolutionize and modernize urban land records by creating comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date GIS-integrated digital maps of land parcels, using advanced technologies such as aerial imagery, drones, GNSS-based field surveys, and Web-GIS platforms. The programme seeks to replace outdated, fragmented, or manual land record systems with transparent, reliable data that can empower citizens with clear property ownership information, reduce land disputes, streamline property transactions, improve property tax collection, and strengthen urban planning and governance.
It was launched back in 2024, and according to the notification issued back in September 2024,  [ https://substack.com/redirect/8f475f4b-5429-4f60-b9b5-60a519ca309d?j=eyJ1IjoiMTdkMzMzIn0.fgOj6myyAgvFoWmj-LgXwMrpDLUf7f7HnFNWVfgXm9c ]a one year pilot programme would be implemented in 100 cities across the country. Residents of the chosen cities and villages were asked [ https://substack.com/redirect/0671fda4-b24e-4261-b1e7-0481a92b9632?j=eyJ1IjoiMTdkMzMzIn0.fgOj6myyAgvFoWmj-LgXwMrpDLUf7f7HnFNWVfgXm9c ] to ?be present on the date... for the measurement of their houses and other property? and that they should ?give all possible information to the survey officer to enable him to measure their properties correctly.? Land owners (including mortgagor and mortgagees and including if you were living
  abroad) were directed ?to take steps to see that their rights are recorded correctly.?
Now, if that to you sounds like an exercise in deciding who exactly is a lawful owner of a property and who isn?t, then congratulations, you just might be on to something.
Why these villages?
According to people in the know, ?sources? you may call them, the Government of India has already used drones to survey the entire country as part of an exercise to ?replace the survey of India, and state land surveys, with this digitally collected data.?
However, the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) pointed out that the drones can easily collect wrong information, especially if obscured by vegetation, etc. So the Government of India decided that there should be one city and minimum two peri-urban villages in every district taken as a pilot to see if the drone data aligns with ground data. That?s how Panjim and surrounding villages were selected for the North Goa District and Margao, Cuncolim and surrounding villages were chosen for South Goa District. (Sorry Kushavati, you?ll have to wait, you?re the new Ponda, where no one knows whether you actually are a district or not).
In the bargain, the government decided that it might as well use the pilot to test another project -- the uniform property register. So the pilot will try to also see if this digital land record can be reconciled with the state?s land records.
The exercise
While the government hasn?t said so in as many words, the notifications they have issued so far, indicate that this is an official process for recording and determining, rights, title, interest, encroachments, etc. of properties owned in the villages under study. Which means that if when this survey records rights, it does not record them correctly, or if the process is manipulated by nefarious actors (or greedy relatives), the wrongfully entered survey records can be used to deny you your property rights.
Now the government has amended some rules (and also the Land Revenue Code, woah!) to make this exercise possible and affected owners will, according to the said rules, have an opportunity to submit suggestions/objections. The entries in the survey will be finalised only if no objections are received.
Now here is where the major problems begin. On July 2, the Directorate of Survey and Land Records issued three such notices for -- Panaji [ https://substack.com/redirect/ef672f36-1a60-4709-a9fa-5271b7e5585e?j=eyJ1IjoiMTdkMzMzIn0.fgOj6myyAgvFoWmj-LgXwMrpDLUf7f7HnFNWVfgXm9c ], Margao [ https://substack.com/redirect/e3f0444b-a3ba-4016-92f2-142654fdd0e6?j=eyJ1IjoiMTdkMzMzIn0.fgOj6myyAgvFoWmj-LgXwMrpDLUf7f7HnFNWVfgXm9c ] and Cuncoli [ https://substack.com/redirect/329973a2-726a-4f24-be3a-402cba98ad15?j=eyJ1IjoiMTdkMzMzIn0.fgOj6myyAgvFoWmj-LgXwMrpDLUf7f7HnFNWVfgXm9c ]m and their surrounding villages (We really should be thanking the people who are keeping track of all this), calling on the general public to appear before the concerned Inspector of Survey & Land Records along with documents relat
 ed to title of the property.
For an exercise of this nature, the least we will deserve is that the survey done so far should be made available publicly. This includes the GIS data, ground-truthing records, maps, proposed ownership entries, etc.
The public has therefore been directed to appear in an inquiry without being told what has been recorded against any property.
Not only is this a problem for property owners, it is a violation of the government?s own rules. Rule 5(2) requires the draft UrPro to be placed in the public domain and objections/suggestions to be invited for 30 days through specified modes of notice, including the Official Gazette, local newspapers, regional language newspapers and the DSLR website. More than that, if you are someone who is living abroad, your predicament is going to be even worse because surely there isn?t a reasonable opportunity for you to react to the notice, less so if you are an inheritor whose property continues to be in the names of your forefathers.
The notices (linked above) do not provide access to the draft UrPro or the supporting records and does not afford a full 30-day opportunity from the date on which the relevant materials are actually made available.
Essentially, if no draft UrPro and supporting material have been placed in the public domain, affected persons cannot file meaningful objections reducing the entire process to a sham.
Besides, if via this exercise, any person is deprived of his right to property, it will be a violation of article 300A of the constitution, which mandates that no person shall be deprived of property without the right to be heard, the right to a reasoned decision, etc.
Added to all of this is the fact that the Goa Government not too long ago enacted the Goa Escheats, Forfeiture and Bona Vacantia Act, 2024 giving the government powers to identify and take over properties they decide are ?vacant?, ?unoccupied?, etc. While that law has its own set of safeguards, can we be sure that this current survey is not being used to identify vacant, unattended or other such heirless properties?
What do we do now?
A legal challenge is one route and I?m given to understand that preparations for one are already underway. But the first thing that needs to be done is to demand that the government make public these survey plans they have drawn up, even if only in a digital format, in order that we can correctly understand what?s going on. 
And if they say that this isn?t really an exercise in determining whose a rightful owner and who is not, why have they called on the general public to show up with property documents in not one, but two notices? I mean, can I with some dubious documents show up and claim large tracts as my own? And what of ongoing legal disputes, tenancy cases, encroachers claiming to be rightful owners, land filling to claim agricultural property as non agricultural, etc.
Make it make sense!
Traffic cameras to check seat belts?
Traffic cameras to check for violations are here, it seems. [ https://substack.com/redirect/cbe5580d-2a9d-41c7-8bca-29d86a52ec32?j=eyJ1IjoiMTdkMzMzIn0.fgOj6myyAgvFoWmj-LgXwMrpDLUf7f7HnFNWVfgXm9c ] The plan is that they go live from July 15 and will look out for a range of violations. These include using mobile phones while driving, riding without helmets or seat belts, overspeeding, dangerous overtaking, wrong-side driving, illegal parking or stopping, failure to give way to ambulances and fire service vehicles, carrying excess pillion riders, transporting passengers in goods vehicles, and displaying fancy or illegal number plates.
And the second phase is expected to introduce things like checking for vehicles without HSRP plates, etc. At least that?s the plan. Although given how this roll out has been delayed one can?t really be sure how the implementation will end up.
If anything, Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho suggested that there might be a clue. According to this report [ https://substack.com/redirect/ae243989-da02-4a12-b827-961e53ee0c64?j=eyJ1IjoiMTdkMzMzIn0.fgOj6myyAgvFoWmj-LgXwMrpDLUf7f7HnFNWVfgXm9c ], a trial run conducted on July 4 detected 56,536 traffic violations in a single day. Of these, 43,352 cases involved riders and drivers not wearing seat belts, while 13,072 cases related to vehicles without valid insurance.
If that is to be believed, then the much-vaunted traffic camera based system will only be catching those not wearing seatbelts, helmets and driving without valid insurance. While, it is no doubt those are offences, what Goa really needs is enforcement on certain offences like wrong-way driving (contraflow driving), obstructive (double) parking, parking around blind corners, failure to maintain lane discipline, jumping the red light, and of course driving roughshod through narrow village roads, etc.
Who?s going to enforce the laws that will actually make our roads safer?
Oh No! ONOE
The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the proposal for simultaneous elections in the country, popularly referred to as ?One Nation, One Election? was down in the state over two days on July 10-11th ostensibly on a ?study visit? as part of its ?nationwide consultations? to study the proposal.
Officially referred to as the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the proposed bill [ https://substack.com/redirect/15d331ac-8954-461b-adb4-24fcc56af354?j=eyJ1IjoiMTdkMzMzIn0.fgOj6myyAgvFoWmj-LgXwMrpDLUf7f7HnFNWVfgXm9c ] aims to reduce India?s cycle of elections to a single synchronised exercise that will take place once every few years.
Although, it must be said, calling this a consultation might seem like a bit of stretch, given how, this process is nothing but an exercise in buying both time and legitimacy with its conclusions already preordained [ https://substack.com/redirect/23d7fbf5-63ce-4279-9815-c1ebc5112c42?j=eyJ1IjoiMTdkMzMzIn0.fgOj6myyAgvFoWmj-LgXwMrpDLUf7f7HnFNWVfgXm9c ].
Now there are several problems with this and I do not need to go into all of them, especially since the issue is not necessarily Goa specific. Besides, the opposition parties who attended the consultation opposed it and laid out reasons for doing so [ https://substack.com/redirect/cada0644-e1fe-4166-9c2c-6f4d11ee4a46?j=eyJ1IjoiMTdkMzMzIn0.fgOj6myyAgvFoWmj-LgXwMrpDLUf7f7HnFNWVfgXm9c ] (though there was some consternation that civil society was not allowed [ https://substack.com/redirect/cbe5580d-2a9d-41c7-8bca-29d86a52ec32?j=eyJ1IjoiMTdkMzMzIn0.fgOj6myyAgvFoWmj-LgXwMrpDLUf7f7HnFNWVfgXm9c ] to be part of the discussions) But what I specifically want to highlight is a line from the Chief Minister?s presentation before the committee.
In his remarks [ https://substack.com/redirect/4e12ca1b-5ec4-4320-b422-e0b07db5a12e?j=eyJ1IjoiMTdkMzMzIn0.fgOj6myyAgvFoWmj-LgXwMrpDLUf7f7HnFNWVfgXm9c ], Sawant spoke in favour of the proposal and seemed to suggest he was speaking on behalf of the entire state when doing so (even though more often than not, he?s not even speaking for himself). But more than that, he praised the policy as being a ?transformative and futuristic reform that aimed at strengthening governance, ensuring policy continuity, reducing the recurring burden of elections, and accelerating India?s journey towards Viksit Bharat.?
Only someone who wants to dispense with democracy altogether will call elections a burden.
That?s all I have for you this week. Make sure you comment or write in, should you have something, anything to say.
I would also invite you to contribute via sending in your views, especially on a subject you know something about, and I will be happy to include it as part of the newsletter.
You are also welcome to write in with leads and tip-offs or anything that you think might be interesting enough to include here.
As always, please share and help spread the word.
Until next week, then. Tchau!
Thanks for reading GERARD?s Gazette! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9nZXJhcmRzZ2F6ZXR0ZS5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvM01qZ3pOREF4TlN3aWNHOXpkRjlwWkNJNk1qQTJOakV5TkRnMExDSnBZWFFpT2pFM09ETTRNak0wTVRjc0ltVjRjQ0k2TVRneE5UTTFPVFF4Tnl3aWFYTnpJam9pY0hWaUxUSTJPVEF5TmpBaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuZGpEdVIyRDczS3EyS3BTVEtCVVVLSVdmQ2FNa1pGR1pCMWEzLUJaZnRYTSIsInAiOjIwNjYxMjQ4NCwicyI6MjY5MDI2MCwiZiI6dHJ1ZSwidSI6NzI4MzQwMTUsImlhdCI6MTc4MzgyMzQxNywiZXhwIjoyMDk5Mzk5NDE3LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.ia9nnFn0KwrLnic8gy_gjtIG99LgngI_WRT1IWummjg?

End of Goanet Digest, Vol 21, Issue 329
***************************************