The Delhi government is in the process of digitising property records in Lal Dora villages and will soon provide smart cards to eligible residents, the Office of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stated in a release on Tuesday.

It added that Ms. Gupta held a review meeting earlier in the day to assess the progress of the project, which aims to create authenticated digital property records for areas that have long lacked formal documentation.

The CM said the initiative aims to address the longstanding lack of authenticated property records in Lal Dora areas.

“For years, the absence of systematic and authenticated property records in Lal Dora areas had caused numerous difficulties for residents. The Delhi government is now leveraging modern technology to establish a clear identity for every property, ensuring that property records become more transparent, secure and well-organised in the future,” she said.

Lal Dora refers to a ‘red line’ drawn by the British in 1908 around rural settlements to simplify revenue collection and allow villagers to expand their houses and build structures in the abadi (habitation) zone without adhering to building norms.

According to the statement, surveys have been completed in 30 of the 48 villages brought under the Survey of Villages Abadi and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) scheme through an agreement with the Survey of India. Final property cards for these villages have been prepared while the integration of digital signatures and issuance of QR-enabled smart property cards is in its final stage.

Officials said drone surveys covering 12,232 properties have been completed so far. Of these, 8,423 properties were found to be free of disputes, and the process to generate their corresponding smart cards has started, said an official.

The government said all surveyed properties in the South and North West districts are dispute-free while efforts are under way to resolve disputes in other districts.

Published - July 22, 2026 01:21 am IST