MARGAO
The NAKSHA land survey in Cuncolim is struggling to make headway, with only around 637 of the 2,400 property owners served notices by the Land Survey Office responding with property-related documents so far, and just 70 draft Urban Property Cards prepared.
A majority of those who have responded have submitted only Form I & XIV and other supporting details, without the relevant property title documents required for the preparation of the cards, officials said.
The National Geospatial Knowledge-Based Land Survey of Urban Habitations (NAKSHA) pilot project has faced concerns from residents and property owners, who have questioned the survey process and expressed suspicion over its objectives. The development comes a month after the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records initiated a month-long inquiry into the survey.
The poor response is particularly evident among occupiers of properties belonging to the Sociedade Agricola dos Gauncares de Cuncolim e Veroda. With a major portion of land in Cuncolim falling under the Sociedade, land survey officials have reportedly struggled to obtain the necessary details from its occupiers.
With only 637 documents received from property owners so far, and many submissions incomplete due to the absence of relevant property title documents, several applicants remain ineligible for the preparation of Urban Property Cards.
“We have so far prepared around 70 draft Urban Property Cards after scrutinising the documents submitted by the property owners. Our officials are still on the job to scrutinise the documents submitted by the property owners,” a Land Survey official said.
The response from occupiers of land belonging to the Sociedade has been particularly poor, with fewer than 50 documents submitted by them so far, officials said.
The lack of participation, coupled with the reservations expressed by residents, raises questions over whether the authorities will be able to complete the exercise within the stipulated timeframe.
---
Property apprehensions continue to cloud survey in Margao-Fatorda
MARGAO: The poor response to the NAKSHA land survey in Cuncolim is also reflected in the commercial capital, with the exercise covering the municipal areas of Margao and Fatorda receiving a lukewarm response from property owners.
Despite thousands of property owners residing in the Margao and Fatorda municipal areas, only around 600 owners are believed to have responded to the survey within the stipulated one-month period. Of these, the land survey office has reportedly prepared draft urban property cards for only around 100 property owners.
Officials have attributed the poor response to a trust deficit among residents, with several property owners apprehensive that their properties could be at risk if they fail to produce the required title documents during the survey.
A land survey official cited an instance in which field officials of the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records were allegedly driven away by some property owners who feared that the officials had arrived as part of an exercise to claim or take over their ancestral properties.
The government has now extended the deadline until August 31 to enable property owners to submit the required documents. Land survey officials are hopeful that the extension will encourage more owners in Margao and Fatorda to come forward and participate in the survey so that their urban property cards can be prepared.
However, the continued low response highlights the challenge before the authorities in building confidence among property owners and convincing them that the NAKSHA exercise is intended to facilitate the preparation of accurate urban property records rather than threaten ownership rights.
---
Lukewarm response forces deadline extension to Aug 31
MARGAO: With the NAKSHA survey receiving a poor response in the municipal areas of Margao and Cuncolim, the Directorate of Settlement and Land Survey has extended the ongoing process of collecting information and documents from property owners in Margao, Fatorda and Cuncolim.
The department will embark on the process of preparing draft Urban Property (UrPro) Cards after August 31 and subsequently place the drafts in the public domain for objections and suggestions, in accordance with Rule 5 of the Goa (National Geospatial Knowledge Based) Land Survey of Urban Habitations Rules, 2025.
In a public notice issued by NAKSHA Pilot Project Nodal Officer and Superintendent of Survey and Land Records, Salcete, Maya Amonkar, residents of the Margao and Cuncolim municipal areas have been called upon to appear before the respective office of the Inspector of Survey and Land Records (ISLR) between August 17 and August 31, 2026, located at Osia Commercial Arcade, SGPDA Market Complex, B Wing, third floor, Fatorda, Salcete-Goa.
Property owners have been requested to produce the documents specified in the annexure to the notice, including a copy of the NAKSHA notice, title documents, identification documents and a passport-size photograph.
The documents and information have been sought to enable the ISLR to prepare the draft Urban Property Cards, which will then be placed in the public domain to invite objections and suggestions from the public as mandated under the 2025 rules.
The department has urged property owners in the concerned municipal areas to make use of the extended period and submit the required documents within the stipulated deadline.
