Prateek Tanmay
3 min readNew DelhiJul 22, 2026 01:16 AM IST
The Delhi government is conducting a comprehensive survey of all Lal Dora Abadi villages to create digital records and will soon issue ‘Smart Property Cards’ to address the issues being faced by the residents.
According to officials, 48 villages will be covered under the Centre’s SVAMITVA scheme through an agreement with the Survey of India. Surveys have been completed in 30 of these villages and their final property cards have been prepared.
Lal Dora areas in Delhi are village habitation zones demarcated in revenue records with a red line. Originally designated to distinguish residential village settlements from surrounding agricultural land, these areas have a distinct land use status and are subject to specific regulations governing construction and development.
For instance, the Bed and Breakfast (B&B) in Malviya Nagar where a fatal fire broke out in June is in the Lal Dora zone, with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) claiming that it being a Lal Dora property is exempt from municipal building norms.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta Tuesday said that for years, the absence of systematic and authenticated property records in Lal Dora areas has caused numerous difficulties for residents.
“The Delhi government will soon issue Smart Property Cards to eligible beneficiaries. Our government believes that these cards will play a significant role in safeguarding the interests and securing the future of rural residents,” Gupta said.
The process of integrating digital signatures and rolling out Smart Property Cards is now in its final stage, said officials, adding that the surveys covering 12,232 properties (polygons) have been completed so far. Of these, 8,423 properties or 69% are dispute-free.
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All surveyed properties in the South and North West districts are dispute-free, they said. Work is underway in other districts.
The CM said that the initiative is built entirely on a modern digital system. The process begins with the demarcation of Lal Dora boundaries, followed by an aerial drone survey. Revenue department officials then verify the maps on the ground against the actual position of the properties. “If any discrepancies are found, they are reported to the Survey of India for necessary corrections. Each property is then assigned a unique Property Identification Number (PID), following which a property card is issued to the occupier,” Gupta said. Officials said that the record will be integrated with the Delhi Online Registration Information System (DORIS).
Each Smart Property Card will bear PID, date of issue, village, sub-division, district, name of occupant, father’s or husband’s name, share in the property, total area, built-up area and open area, Bhu-Aadhaar number, details of co-occupants and contact number.
Every card will also feature a QR code. Scanning it will open the complete Digital Form-13 of the property, containing a detailed property sketch, boundaries, neighbouring property PIDs, Khasra number, details of co-occupants and family members, Tehsildar’s signature, official seal and a Certificate of Occupancy under Section 36 of the Delhi Abadi Deh Survey and Record Management Rules, 2025.
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Gupta said that the initiative is aimed at improving management of government land records and making property-related administrative processes simpler, faster and more transparent.
