Hi,
I am Jaisen Nedumpala, roaming here for quite a while as a contributor
of OpenStreetMap, mainly focused on the mapping of Kozhikode district.
Right now, I am working as the assistant secretary to the Koorachundu
village panchayat, in Kozhikode district.
What I am going to describe here is not purely a community issue, much
related with my official duties too. But a village panchayat itself is a
community, which:
1. enjoy an official status,
2. have its own powers and duties,
3. full legal recognition and
4. authority over a defined local geographical area.
So I think, it might not be wrong to raise this issue here, in the hope
that, this would be considered as an act of goodwill.
Here we have an immediate requirement to map the village panchayat
area, that might be helpful for the panchayat elections, which will be held
in the year 2015. After the elections this map would be the base map for
all the future practical purposes.
State Election Commission (SEC-Kerala) realises that, systematically
prepared maps can be used as a base map for administrative, scientific and
academic purposes as an official document. Such a map would be useful as a
base document for future delimitation of wards or bifurcation of Local Self
Government Institutions. So SEC-K has issued an order to prepare maps for
all Local Self Government Institutions of Kerala, which is available here
in this link:
http://lsg.kerala.gov.in/news/files/More_Details_352.pdf
(Language: Malayalam.)
As per the order, the duties are assigned as follows:
1. Prepare maps for village panchayats, municipalities and municipal
corporations (Local Self Government Institutions - LSGIs) with their
external boundaries and mark geographical and man-made features such as
small and big rivers, streams, roads, forests, raliway line etc. in those
maps. Then pass down these maps to the LSGIs. The maps for village
panchayats will be in A3 size (municipality: A2 size, municipal
corporation: A1 size) and in defined scale, both in hard and soft copies,
and will be issued to LSGIs within 15/07/2014. --Duty assigned to the
Department of Survey and Land Records.
2. After obtaining the map from the Department of Survey and Land Records,
The engineer in charge of public works at the LSGI, should draw the
existing ward boundaries (which were fixed in 2010) and notable
geographical marks, under the supervision of secretary of LSGI, after field
verification. This job should be done within 29/07/2014 (within 9 working
days after receiving the maps from Survey and Land Records) in case of
village panchayats. --Duty assigned to the secretary and Engineer of LSGI.
3. After obtaining back the map with ward boundaries and notable
geographical marks from LSGIs, the Department of Survey and Land Records
will prepare the final maps of LSGI within 12/9/2014 using AutoCAD software
program. --Duty assigned to the Department of Survey and Land Records.
Main Points to note:
----------------------------
1. LSGIs should have a systematically prepared base map for administrative,
scientific and academic purposes as an official document. Such a map will
be useful as a base document for future delimitation of wards or
bifurcation LSGIs.
2. To become authentic, it must be prepared by the Department of Survey and
Land Records, after receiving the official inputs from the LSGI authorities.
3. The maps for village panchayats will be in A3 size (municipality: A2
size, municipal corporation: A1 size) and will be in defined scale.
4. Department of Survey and Land Records will prepare the final map after
obtaining the inputs from LSGIs, using AutoCAD software program.
Problems I could see:
------------------------------
1. KILA and SEC-K jointly published a hand book covering LSGI elections
and related subjects, originally titled in Malayalam, which can be
translated as "Good governance through legal awareness - Hand book for
People's Representatives and officials at LSGIs" in 2013. In its pages no:
12 and 13, it is said that ward delimitation should be done using the
cadastral map prepared and issued by the Information Kerala Mission, and if
they didn't prepare such a map for a particular village panchayat, then
that should be prepared with the help of Survey Department.
In case of Koorachundu village panchayat, Information Kerala Mission
didn't prepare a cadastral map, so we approached the Department of Survey
and Land Records regional and district authorities long before, but any
action is still pending.
In the hand book, it says about preparing a cadastral map, but in the
order of SEC-K mentioned above, the word "cadastral" is not there. No clue,
what type of map would be issued to village panchayat, by the Department of
Survey and Land records for this purpose.
2. If the map is meant to be useful for administrative, scientific and
academic purposes, and be useful as a base document for future delimitation
of wards or bifurcation LSGIs, I think, it must be a cadastral map. So I am
doubtful whether the size A3 mentioned in the order of SEC-K is sufficient
for this purpose. That is too small to include the necessary features in
detailed scale, that to make it useful for any other practical purpose
other than ward delimitation. Besides, the village panchayats of Kerala
vary largely in their geographical area, the largest among them is Kumily
in Idukki District, with a huge 816.73 Sq. K Ms size, and the smallest is
Valapattanam in Kannur District with only 2.04 Sq. K Ms, and all the others
lie somewhere in the range in between. How it is practically possible to
make the maps of all these village panchayats in A3 size and at the same
time in a defined scale? No idea. And it seems to be hard to draw all the
ward boundaries and geographical features within this fixed time-limit, in
a detailed and accurate manner for this relatively large village panchayat
(Area: 72.74 Sq. K Ms).
Cadastral map is a must, as we already suffered difficulties earlier
when:
1. Using the watershed master plan, which was prepared without using a
cadastral map, for the programmes under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act in village panchayat,
2. Asked for the panchayat level cadastral map to prepare detailed
watershed based masterplan for Integrated Watershed Management Programme,
but we couldn't provide it.
Let it be.
We couldn't prepare a panchayat level resource map for Koorachundu
village panchayat, because we don't have a base cadastral map yet. So I
think, it is high time to prepare one somehow, atleast in three themes viz.
Assets, Land use, and Water resources so that it can be made useful for all
practical purposes which may arise in the future.
Continuous updation make a map an authentic source of information and
possibilities of customisation make it reliable over time. Hard copy maps
or raster images of maps have limited flexibility to update or customise.
GIS or WebGIS is the best solution for this purpose. But, All the Local
Self government Institutions (including village panchayats) of Kerala are
restricted from preparing projects to develop a GIS or spend money for it,
vide government circular available in the following link:
http://www.go.lsgkerala.gov.in/pages/fileOpen.php?fname=cr20131213_9208.pdf&id=9208
(Language: Malayalam.)
Considering all these factors, I can see more of less a deadlock
condition here. Not expecting any relaxation in any of these
orders/circulars within this fixed time limit. So I think about not a
direct, but an alternative way to get mapped this area. OpenStreetMap would
be the best solution at this point, I think. If all the necessary features
here, are marked in OpenStreetMap, the geospatial data can be made
available for any practical purposes including administrative, scientific
and academic purposes at any time, using ETL techniques. Because I see many
of the foreign academic/government firms make use of geospatial data from
OpenStreetMap these days.
Can anybody help us to map this area within 29/07/2014, if we arrange a
mapping party here?
Priorities to map are:
1. The geographical boundaries of Koorachundu village panchayat.
2. Existing ward boundaries (which was fixed in 2010).
2. Rivers and Streams.
3. Roads.
(No need to map railway line, because it doesn't exist here.)
4. Forest area.
5. Buildings which can be used as potential polling booths.
6. All the ways/foot paths to those buildings.
7. Assets, Landuse and Water resources if possible within this time-limit.
Will this plan be accepted by the OpenStreetMap India community as a
model?
If it is possible, then it will have a few advantages mainly:
1. It would be a learning experience for OpenStreetMap volunteers about
this village community.
2. Hopefully can arrange the help of Kudumbashree volunteers to map this
area, and that would be a learning experience for them too on OpenStreetMap.
3. The OpenStreetMap volunteers will get an opportunity to explore the
Koorachundu village panchayat, within which have some scenic places,
reservoirs and streams.
------------------------------------------------------
Koorachundu Village Panchayat profile
------------------------------------------------------
1. It is a hilly village panchayat, bordering with Wayanad district.
2. The headquartes - Koorachundu is 38 Kilometers away from
Kozhikode(Calicut).
2. Well connected with all-weather roads (few nooks and corners are not,
still), but public transportation facilities are limited.
3. Population: 16111 (2001)
4. Area: 72.74 Square Kilometers
5. number of wards: 13.
6. Two major reservoirs (Peruvannamuzhi, and Kakkayam) and one dam
(Kakkayam) are there in panchayat.
7. The Kakkayam valley tourism project is in incubator. Besides Kakkayam,
there are some other scenic places in panchayat, being a hilly area.
8. Broadband internet connection will be available at the O/o village
panchayat.
------------------------------------------------------
Please do comment on this idea..
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«´¨`·* . Jaisenov. *..´¨`»
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