Certain elements encroach govt land by forging property-related documents: Rajnath Singh

New Delhi [India], December 16 (ANI): Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday called upon Directorate General Defence Estates (DGDE) to strengthen its internal legal system and gain expertise in state land revenue laws to effectively deal with unnecessary land-related disputes.
Addressing the Defence Estates Day function in New Delhi on December 16, 2022, Rajnath Singh said, "Certain elements sometimes encroach upon the government land by forging land and property-related documents and taking advantage of the legal loopholes, resulting in litigation that goes on for years."
He said the time, money and energy wasted in the process must be avoided and DGDE must equip themselves to stay always be ready to deal with such issues.
"There are many law universities and colleges in our country with which DGDE can collaborate to train and update its officers in land laws. The officers should remain updated on the judgments of different courts on land issues. The focus should be on capacity building and making the processes simpler and better using new technologies. The department must continue to increase its competencies in the field of land management and local area administration while striving to make its system more robust," Rajnath Singh said.
Union Defence Minister described the maintenance and management of defence land as one of the tasks of national importance. He applauded DGDE for rolling out numerous steps in this direction, including the survey and digitisation of about 18 lakh acres of defence land and the establishment of a Centre of Excellence to promote the use of the latest technologies in land surveys.
Singh made special mention of the Artificial Intelligence-based software, developed by DGDE to detect unauthorised constructions and encroachments on defence land, which has been put to use in cantonments across the country.
"Unauthorised constructions and encroachments were earlier detected on the basis of physical verification, which is time-consuming and prone to errors. The software will increase surveillance by land holding and land using departments and prevent unauthorised constructions and encroachments," he said.
Rajnath Singh also pointed out that the Ministry of Home Affairs has requested DGDE to conduct a survey for the Custodian of Enemy Property for India (CEPI). It is the first survey of land and buildings by DGDE outside the Ministry of Defence, which will be started by DEO Delhi in collaboration with revenue authorities from Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. He urged DGDE to prepare updated maps and land details for CEPI using the latest technology.
The event also witnessed the inauguration of SUVIDYA (Multilingual Cantt Board School Management Module) and BHOOMI RAKSHA (Encroachment Removal Module) by the Defence Minister. (ANI)