What Is Abadi Deh? Delhi Plans Land Survey To Settle Rural Property Disputes

If you own a house in a Delhi village but don't have a clear document proving the land is yours, you're likely living on Abadi Deh land.

The Delhi government has announced a city-wide survey of Abadi Deh areas in rural Delhi, aiming to map ownership, fix boundaries and end disputes that have dragged on for decades.

According to the government, the exercise will combine drone mapping, on-ground verification, public objections and digitisation of records, eventually leading to property cards for residents.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government has drafted the Delhi Abadi Deh Survey and Record Management Rules, 2025 to provide a legal framework for the process.

"The objective is to ensure that no individual's rights are infringed and land-related disputes are resolved in a transparent, time-bound and fair manner," she said.

What is Abadi Deh and why if Matters?

Abadi Deh refers to the inhabited part of a village, areas with houses, cowsheds and common structures.

Historically, these areas were excluded from formal land surveys. As a result, most Abadi Deh land has no khasra or khatauni records, leaving residents without legal proof of ownership.

Revenue officials say this lack of documentation has led to frequent disputes, stalled development projects and limited access to bank loans and government schemes.

How the Survey will be conducted

• The Revenue Department will oversee the survey with technical agencies
• Drones and aerial photography will map plot size and boundaries
• Physical ground verification will confirm maps match reality
• Public objections will be invited before records are finalised
• Officials said technology will assist the process, but final decisions will be based on ground truthing.

Survey of India Already Involved

The Chief Minister said the Revenue Department signed an MoU with the Survey of India in April 2022 to implement the Centre's SVAMITVA scheme in Delhi.

Drone surveys have been completed in 31 of 48 rural villages, while verified maps for 25 villages have already been submitted for further processing.

What will be marked on the ground

Survey teams will physically demarcate Abadi Deh boundaries and identify:

• Private and jointly owned plots
• Roads, lanes and drains
• Community spaces and religious sites
• Graveyards, cremation grounds and government land
• Where boundaries are unclear, support from municipal bodies, the DDA and police may be taken to avoid disputes.

Digital records and property cards

Once verified, Abadi Deh records will be fully computerised. A dedicated digital portal will allow residents to access land records for a fee. Property cards issued after the survey will serve as legal proof of ownership.

Officials say this could help rural residents secure bank loans, access welfare schemes and enable planned development in village areas.

What hnappens next?

Village-wise timelines and objection procedures will be notified separately.

For residents of Delhi's rural villages, the survey could finally bring clarity to a long-standing question: who owns what, and on what record.