The government will soon launch the mapping of lands in selected areas under the Bangladesh Digital Survey (BDS) project using modern equipment like aerial drones.

The installation of ground control points is nearing completion, meaning the mapping process would start shortly, project officials informed Land Minister Narayan Chandra Chanda at a project progress review meeting held on the ministry office premises in the capital on Tuesday.

In the first phase, BDS is being conducted in Chattogram city, Narayanganj city, Rajshahi city, Manikganj municipality, Dhamrai Upazila and Kushtia Sadar Upazila covering nearly 933 square kilometres of land.

Land Record and Survey Department Director General Anis Mahmud, Ministry of Land Additional Secretary Ziauddin Ahmed and Project Director Zahurul Haque were present on the occasion.

Notably, BDS is being conducted under the Establishment of Digital Land Management System (EDLMS) Project.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Land Minister Narayan Chandra asked all the authorities concerned with the project to implement necessary measures for ensuring that the landowners within the current BDS survey areas are adequately informed about the process.

The land minister noted that unawareness about the new land survey process among landowners could result in harassment during and after the project’s field activities. This often occurs when the rightful owner of a piece of land is absent during the survey period, leading to completion without their knowledge.

In the absence of a landowner, his land could be named after a different neighbouring land owner.

The minister directed the BDS survey officers to publicise news about the ongoing survey locally and nationally so that people living in and outside a survey area can know about it.