GIS-Based Industrial Land Bank

A Transformational Initiative for Industrial Development in Madhya Pradesh

The GIS-Based Industrial Land Bank digitized 119 industrial areas in Madhya Pradesh, creating a transparent, technology-driven system that accelerated investments and set a benchmark for industrial growth

A State with Potential, but Held Back by Legacy Systems

Madhya Pradesh, one of India’s largest states, has steadily emerged as an attractive hub for industrial investment. However, the full realization of its industrial potential was hampered by fragmented land records, disputed boundaries, and outdated administrative systems. Recognizing that clear, accessible, and transparent land information is the bedrock of industrial growth, the Madhya Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation (MPIDC) launched the GIS-Based Industrial Land Bank project in 2019, in partnership with AWZPACT Technologies & Services Pvt. Ltd.
The initiative aimed to digitally map and integrate 119 industrial areas, covering developed, developing, and greenfield zones. Using DGPS survey, drone-based GIS mapping, and blockchain-enabled recordkeeping, the project established a single source of truth for industrial land parcels.
The outcomes were transformative: transparent land allotment, reduced disputes, real-time investor facilitation, infrastructure alignment, and improved regulatory oversight. Madhya Pradesh today ranks among the lead states in Ease of Doing Business, setting a benchmark in technology-enabled land governance.

The Actions: A Bold Leap into Digital Transformation

MPIDC, with AWZPACT, launched a GIS-based reform to digitize and democratize industrial land access.

Industrial development is one of the most decisive factors for sustained economic growth in any state. However, for industries to flourish, the most critical enabler is not just capital, policy incentives, or even skilled manpower—it is the availability of land that is clear, dispute-free, infrastructure-ready, and easily accessible to investors.

The Pre-2019 Scenario in Madhya Pradesh

Despite being strategically located at the center of India, well-connected by rail, road, and air, and endowed with abundant resources, Madhya Pradesh faced long-standing challenges in its industrial land management system:

1.Fragmented and Disjointed Records

Land-related information was scattered across multiple agencies—Revenue Department, MPIDC, Town & Country Planning, and local municipal bodies.
Each maintained its own set of records, often inconsistent with one another.
This lack of a single consolidated database meant that investors had to shuttle between departments for clarifications, wasting valuable time.

2.Paper-Based Legacy Systems

Land allocation and management relied heavily on paper records and manual verification.
This system was not only slow and prone to errors but also lacked transparency.
For potential investors, especially global companies used to digital-first systems, this created a negative perception about the ease of doing business in the state.

3.Investor Uncertainty and Delayed Allotments

From an investor’s perspective, time is money. Every week lost in clarifying land status or ownership meant higher project costs.
Many investors either faced long delays in acquiring suitable plots or shifted their projects to other states with more transparent land systems.

4.Non-Compliance with Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP)

Under the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) framework, states were required to adopt reforms for digitization, transparency, and simplified investor facilitation.
Madhya Pradesh had progressed in many areas but continued to lag in land management.
The World Bank–DPIIT rankings (BRAP 2017, BRAP 2019) emphasized digitization of land records as a key reform area.

Key Challenges and Resolutions

The GIS-Based Industrial Land Bank project faced a wide range of challenges that reflected decades of administrative inertia, systemic inefficiencies, and ground-level complexities. Each obstacle required a carefully designed resolution that balanced technology, governance, and stakeholder alignment. The following seven challenges capture the core hurdles and the strategies adopted to overcome them.

Unclear and Disputed Boundaries

One of the most significant hurdles was the lack of clarity in defining the exact boundaries of industrial areas. Over the years, land boundaries had become blurred due to natural changes, informal expansions, and outdated maps. Different stakeholders—including villagers, local industries, and government departments—held their own versions of boundary demarcations, often leading to disputes and litigation. This not only created administrative bottlenecks but also discouraged investors who demanded certainty in land titles. To resolve this, conducted joint DGPS surveys with revenue officials and village representatives, supplemented by drone-based mapping to provide aerial accuracy. The results were universally accepted boundaries, digitally recorded in GIS, creating a permanent and tamper-proof reference system that minimized disputes and improved investor confidence.

Encroachments by Existing Industries

A widespread issue uncovered during surveys was that many running industries had expanded operations beyond their allotted plots. These encroachments varied in scale—from small shed extensions to large-scale occupation of additional land. Traditionally, the administrative response would have been eviction, but such actions could have triggered industrial unrest, disrupted production, and reduced state revenues. MPIDC instead pursued a pragmatic solution: introducing a lease adjustment mechanism. Under this system, encroached land was formally recognized and added to the industries’ plots during their lease renewal cycle, with rentals adjusted accordingly. This approach provided legal regularization without disrupting business activity and ensured that the state continued to benefit from consistent lease revenue.

Ownership and Name Mismatches

Another systemic challenge was the mismatch between official records and ground reality regarding ownership. Over the years, industrial plots were often sold or transferred informally, without updates in MPIDC’s records. As a result, the official allottee on paper frequently did not match the actual operator. This caused legal ambiguity, ownership disputes, and delays in approvals or renewals. To address this, MPIDC carried out ground-truth verification exercises where survey teams directly identified and confirmed the actual operators. Records were updated to reflect real ownership, thereby aligning the database with reality. This improved transparency, eliminated unnecessary disputes, and ensured that legal and financial obligations were tied to the correct stakeholders.

Outdated Master Plans

Industrial growth in Madhya Pradesh had outpaced planning in many areas, resulting in master plans that no longer reflected ground realities. Roads, drainage networks, and utility lines shown on official layouts often did not exist on-site, while other infrastructure had been constructed without updates in records. This disconnect caused serious planning challenges for both existing industries and new investors. To resolve this, MPIDC leveraged survey data to revise and modernize master plans, aligning them with actual infrastructure and land use. These updated plans provided a reliable foundation for future industrial growth and ensured that investors had clarity on the facilities available within each industrial area.

Non-Compliance with Industrial Regulations

The surveys also revealed significant non-compliance with regulatory requirements. Industries frequently ignored rules on maintaining open spaces, adhering to construction limits, or following environmental norms. While these violations were widespread, immediate punitive action was not practical, as it risked destabilizing running industries and employment. MPIDC therefore adopted a phased regulatory framework, digitally documenting all violations and incorporating them into the GIS repository. This allowed the state to monitor non-compliance systematically and take corrective action gradually, while ensuring that new allotments adhered strictly to updated norms. The creation of this compliance framework not only improved regulation but also provided a tool for long-term industrial discipline.

Execution Amid the Covid-19 Pandemic

Perhaps the most unexpected challenge was the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which coincided with the project timeline. Statewide lockdowns restricted movement, and survey teams faced difficulties in accessing field locations. There was also the constant threat of infection, which slowed operations and created uncertainty about meeting deadlines. In response, AWZPACT deployed an innovative field model: mobile vans equipped with kitchens and sleeping arrangements, allowing survey teams to remain self-sufficient in the field. Strict safety protocols were followed, and ironically, the reduced industrial activity during lockdowns allowed surveys to proceed faster, as roads and industrial areas were relatively empty. This innovative execution model ensured that the project remained on track despite unprecedented disruptions.

Data Integration and Technological Standardization

The final challenge lay in consolidating massive amounts of spatial and non-spatial data into a single, reliable GIS platform. Different departments had varying formats, standards, and data quality, making integration a complex task. There was also the need to ensure that once integrated, data remained tamper-proof, scalable, and easy to use. MPIDC addressed this by introducing a strict Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) framework, ensuring that all data was validated before integration. A Java-based GIS Web Application was developed, featuring blockchain integration for transparency and layered data representation for easy decision-making. This created not just a one-time repository but a future-ready platform capable of scaling and integrating with other systems such as investor portals and environmental clearance databases.
Together, these seven challenges capture the complexity of reforming land governance in a state as large and diverse as Madhya Pradesh. By addressing them with a blend of scientific precision, pragmatic policymaking, and innovative execution, MPIDC was able to transform a fragmented, opaque system into a transparent and investor-friendly governance model that has set a benchmark for other states in India

The Strategic Importance of Reform

The Government of Madhya Pradesh had ambitious industrial growth targets. With mega industrial corridors, new clusters (food parks, IT parks, garment parks, etc.), and infrastructure upgrades being planned, the demand for ready-to-use industrial land was rising rapidly.
Yet, the existing system was ill-equipped to handle the next phase of growth. Without reform, MP risked:
• Losing investor confidence to competing states,
• Slowing down its industrialization momentum, and
• Failing to capitalize on its central location as a logistics and manufacturing hub.
The Vision for Transformation
To address these issues, MPIDC envisioned a comprehensive GIS-based Industrial Land Bank that would:
• Digitize all land parcels across industrial areas (developed, developing, and undeveloped).
• Integrate spatial and non-spatial data into a single platform.
• Provide investors with real-time visibility into available plots, infrastructure, and costs.
• Eliminate disputes by creating a tamper-proof, universally accepted record through DGPS and blockchain technology.
• Enable better planning by revising outdated master plans and aligning them with actual ground conditions.
This was not just a technology project—it was a governance transformation initiative aligned with India’s EoDB reforms and Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.

The Results: Transparency, Trust, and a Boost in Ease of Doing Business

From disputes and delays to clarity and confidence—Madhya Pradesh delivered results that matter.

Creation of Accurate and Standardized GIS Maps

Undertake Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) and drone-based surveys across 119 industrial areas, ensuring high-precision mapping at 1:4000 scale, equivalent to revenue maps.
Replace outdated, inconsistent paper layouts with scientifically validated maps.
Demarcate boundaries clearly to eliminate overlaps, encroachments, and disputes.
Build a digital layer system (roads, plots, drainage, pipelines, power lines, open spaces, contours, etc.) to provide a complete spatial picture of each industrial area.

Comprehensive Digitization of Land Records

Transform paper-based, fragmented land records into a single integrated digital repository.
Capture spatial data (plot boundaries, dimensions, infrastructure) and non-spatial data (ownership, allotment status, lease period, cost, compliance) for every parcel.
Enable real-time updates so that any change—sale, transfer, renewal, or encroachment adjustment—was reflected immediately in the system.
Ensure all data was tamper-proof through blockchain integration, building trust among investors, industries, and government stakeholders.

Transparent Land Allotment and Investor Facilitation

Provide investors with an online, GIS-based portal to search for available land parcels by size, location, status, or infrastructure support.
Eliminate uncertainty by showing verified, real-time availability of plots.
Offer a visual interface where investors could see aerial overlays, connectivity, nearby utilities, and industrial ecosystems.
Streamline allotment processes by cutting down manual intervention, reducing scope for disputes, and aligning with Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) reforms.

Integration of Industrial Infrastructure and Amenities

Capture existing and planned infrastructure assets within industrial areas—roads, drainage networks, power distribution, water supply pipelines, transformers, waste management systems, and amenities like CETPs (Common Effluent Treatment Plants).
Update master plans to align with actual ground realities, correcting discrepancies between paper layouts and physical infrastructure.
Support future planning by enabling MPIDC and other agencies to design infrastructure upgrades based on accurate geospatial data.
Provide a tool for infrastructure gap analysis, helping the state decide where to invest for industrial corridor development.

Strengthening Regulatory Oversight and Compliance

Identify and digitally record instances of non-compliance, such as:
-Encroachments beyond allotted plot boundaries.
-Non-adherence to open space and building regulations.
-Unauthorized transfers of ownership.
Provide MPIDC with a compliance dashboard to track violations across industrial areas.
Shift from ad-hoc enforcement to a systematic monitoring framework, enabling phased corrections without disrupting ongoing industrial activity.

Faster Investment Facilitation and Ease of Doing Business

Faster Investment Facilitation and Ease of Doing Business
Directly address key BRAP (Business Reform Action Plan) parameters related to land allotment and industrial facilitation.
Reduce average time taken for land verification and allotment—from months to a matter of days.
Offer investors predictability and confidence, encouraging both domestic and foreign investment inflows.
Position Madhya Pradesh as a competitive alternative to industrial states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu by offering clarity, speed, and transparency in land allotments.

Technology Backbone

Technology was the core enabler of the GIS-Based Industrial Land Bank project. Without precision tools, scalable systems, and future-ready digital architecture, it would have been impossible to convert decades of fragmented, paper-based land records into a single source of truth. The project was designed on a multi-layered technology backbone, integrating advanced survey techniques with modern IT platforms.

Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) Surveys
- DGPS was employed to capture land boundaries with centimeter-level accuracy.
- This eliminated the discrepancies that had plagued manual and paper-based records.
- Surveyors recorded coordinates of every plot and infrastructure asset, ensuring that maps aligned with real-world ground truth.
Drone-Based GIS Mapping
- Drones provided aerial imagery at scale, allowing large industrial areas to be surveyed rapidly and efficiently.
- These high-resolution images offered visual overlays that could be matched with DGPS data, ensuring consistency and transparency.
- Investors could see not just boundaries but also roads, drainage, and surrounding land use in real-time.
Layered GIS Repository
- The system stored data in multiple layers: plot boundaries, drainage, roads, power infrastructure, pipelines, open spaces, contours, and compliance data.
- Each layer could be analyzed individually or in combination, offering policymakers and investors powerful decision-making insights.
- For instance, an investor could instantly check whether a plot had access to a road, water line, and power distribution.
Blockchain Integration
- To build trust and immutability, blockchain technology was integrated into the land record system.
- This ensured that once data was entered and verified, it could not be altered or manipulated.
- Blockchain-backed records provided industries, government, and investors with assurance that the database was transparent and tamper-proof.
Java-Based Web Application
- A modern, user-friendly GIS web portal was built using Java, providing real-time access to land data.
- Features included polygon selection, area and dimension calculation, multiple filters, admin dashboards, and customized reporting tools.
- Investors could log in and instantly see available plots, ownership details, cost, and supporting infrastructure.
Integration and Scalability
- The system was designed to integrate with other government platforms such as the Single Window Portal, environmental clearance databases, and revenue records.
- Scalability ensured that future industrial corridors, smart cities, and logistics hubs could also be added without system overhaul.
- This created a future-proof foundation for industrial land management in Madhya Pradesh.

Impact Delivered

The transformation brought about by the GIS-Based Industrial Land Bank project was multi-dimensional, touching governance, industry, and investor confidence. The impact can be summarized across several key outcomes:

Transparency and Accessibility
- For the first time, all 119 industrial areas in Madhya Pradesh were digitized and made accessible through a single portal.
- Investors could see real-time availability of plots, their dimensions, costs, and compliance status, eliminating uncertainty.
- This transparency removed the need for middlemen and significantly reduced scope for corruption.
Dispute Resolution and Conflict Reduction
- Clear boundaries and updated ownership records minimized disputes between industries, local villagers, and government agencies.
- By regularizing encroachments through lease adjustment, MPIDC prevented legal confrontations and maintained industrial stability.
- As a result, investors experienced smoother transactions and faster allotments.
Improved Planning and Infrastructure Alignment
- Outdated master plans were replaced with revised, accurate layouts, aligned with actual on-ground infrastructure.
- This allowed MPIDC to conduct infrastructure gap analysis, identify missing facilities, and plan future investments effectively.
- Industrial areas became better equipped to support sustainable industrial growth.
Regulatory Oversight and Compliance Monitoring
- By documenting non-compliance digitally, MPIDC created a structured system to track and enforce regulations.
- Instead of ad-hoc enforcement, industries could be monitored systematically, with corrective action phased over time.
- This created a balance between industrial growth and adherence to regulations.
Ease of Doing Business and Faster Facilitation
- Approvals and allotments, which previously took months, could now be completed in a matter of days.
- Investors no longer needed to physically verify land details or cross-check multiple records.
- This contributed significantly to Madhya Pradesh’s improved ranking in Ease of Doing Business (EoDB).
Resilient Execution Amid Crisis
- The project demonstrated executional resilience during Covid-19. Despite lockdowns, field surveys were completed on schedule using mobile vans and innovative field models.
- This showcased MPIDC’s adaptability and strengthened investor perception of Madhya Pradesh as a state that delivers even in adversity.

The Future: Madhya Pradesh as a Benchmark for Industrial Land Governance

From fragmented legacy to digital leadership—Madhya Pradesh is now setting the benchmark for India

The success of the GIS-Based Industrial Land Bank has positioned Madhya Pradesh as a benchmark state for industrial land governance in India.

From Fragmentation to Integration
What was once a disjointed, paper-based system riddled with disputes is now a unified, digital platform providing real-time access to accurate land data.
From Uncertainty to Investor Confidence
Investors today view Madhya Pradesh as a state where industrial land is not just available, but also transparent, dispute-free, and infrastructure-ready. This clarity directly influences investment decisions and accelerates project timelines.
From Outdated Master Plans to Future-Ready Planning
With updated GIS-based layouts, the state can now plan industrial corridors, logistics hubs, and cluster development based on precise geospatial intelligence.
From Compliance Gaps to Structured Oversight
By documenting violations and building a regulatory monitoring framework, MPIDC has shifted from reactive enforcement to proactive governance.
From Disruption to Resilience
Completing such a large-scale transformation amid the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the state’s ability to adapt and deliver, further reinforcing investor trust.

Today, Madhya Pradesh is not just another state competing for industrial investment—it has become a model of transparent, technology-driven, investor-centric governance. Other states are now looking at MP’s Land Bank as a reference framework for their own industrial reforms.

In essence, the project has transformed Madhya Pradesh into a “Lead State” for industrial development, where the promise of ease of doing business is not rhetoric but a visible, lived reality for investors.