Thursday, March 8, 2007

Remapping the Empire


My interest in maps is very recent. I learnt a lot about maps and the process of mapping from chats with sashi, the book ‘mapping the empire’ and my land use class.

Maps to most users are accurate and objective. They do not see the very process of mapping as political. If the history of is traced one would realize how maps are a weapon of imperialism as much as guns or political maneuvers. They are always used to assert territorial claims, to reformat and to contest landscapes. Maps are neither “inert records” nor “passive reflections” they are active: “structuring the human world which is biased towards, promoted by, and exerts influence upon particular sets of social relations. The British had created India by mapping it and had mapped India to legitimize their empire!!

I do not deny however, the other uses of maps. Mapping done with public participation could and I used to empower local communities.

Sashi is now leading this fancy experimental cadastral resurvey team at Speck. I could write it up in my own words but I do not think I could explain it as well as Sashi did. In Sashi’s own words:

sashister: its called ILIS (integrated land information systems) or Bhubharati. right now the pilot is nizamabad district 922 villages and 7800 sq. kms


sashister: its a cadastral resurvey - that is all the individual land parcels are mapped including residential and agricultural... and details ownership and some topodetails are gathered. the outputs are a village map; individual land parcel maps and a land register

sashister: so a aircraft flies first taking photographs; then these are orthorectified; control points are referenced on the ground in a grid; then large prints are taken to the fields and demarcation is done on the photos; these photos are then transferred to a digitised map; a correlated land register is prepared; then people are given their parcel maps and asked to register any objection; after the stipulated time if there are no objections the data is considered final

12:49 AM its a big job and i think the whole country will be covered over the next ten years or so at a cost of Rs.18,000 crores. For ap the budget is estimated at 1200 crores
1:05 AM quite apart from displacement due to dams etc. - mining leases - god the list is endless and most of it the poor and the government are at the receiving end and the private sector including mncs are the beneficiaries

1:06 AM me: why did you say the government is at the receiving end?? sashister: i'll check it when i get to barkatpura me: isn't the state responsible for it?

1:07 AM sashister: because lots of it is government assets which are being let go off at throwaway prices

me: btw way sashi....y don't you start a blog...your own...besides the barkatpura one and write all this sashister: the max i seem to be able to write is ten lines at a time

1:08 AM me: so does the state not have a say in it?

12:51 AM me:there is this whole discourse here of how cadastral mapping gives the people in power more power and marginalizes the people who are already marginalized....
12:52 AM me: and how indigenous communities are doing counter mapping.....to resist cadastral mapping done by the state

sashister: what you say is true
sashister: but one of things that is coming out is the extent that government lands have been occupied by the powerful - it has become a big issue - the CM had taken 900 acres that he had to return - jayalalitha's land near the city is under question etc.
end of chat

Some questions that need answering
1. Whose voices are heard in terms of assigning titles to lands?
2. Who has higher gains out of this the state and elites or the people?
3. The digitization process needs clear land holding. What happens with lands which are commonly held or have mixed and clear holding? What about the podu cultivation done by ‘konda reddis’? how do you map their lands? Will mapping their lands not change their lives?
4. Is their an alternative to the current mapping process that is more culturally sensitive and participatory?

From Aponline webstite
Andhra Pradesh is the only State in the country, which has opened up Cadastral Surveys and building up accurate, fully computerized Land Information System. This will supposedly help to arrive at a viable, speedy, economical and accurate procedure for rebuilding up-to-date Cadastral records on a larger scale, in ready to maintain Digital Format.
The stated advantage of the remapping is efficiency and ease of monitoring and incorporation of changes in title and boundary. Easy accessibility and updating of records. The data can be used by various departments for planning new projects as the vertical control (spot levels ) available without extra effort. GIS can be developed for these villages integrating survey numbers data , Electric lines data, Roads data, Telephone lines, crops data, Water channels data, trees, drainage system, Schools, bore wells, M P H S data and HDS data.

I looked up what exactly a Cadsatral map is in wikipedia: A cadastral map is a map showing boundaries and ownership of land. Some cadastral maps show, as well as boundaries and ownership details, such details as Survey District Names, Block Numbers (within each Survey District), Certificate of Title numbers, positions of existing older structures, government described runhold section and/or lot numbers and their respective areas, adjoining and adjacent street names, selected boundary dimensions and references to prior founding maps.

Sources
Chat with Sashi
http://www.aponline.gov.in/apportal/departments/departments.asp?dep=28&org=183&category=NewsandEvents
wikipedia

Pic: Slash-and-burn farm in kolleru

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