Mouza & Land Survey in Bangladesh

What is a mouza map, and which survey record applies?

A mouza is the basic revenue unit in Bangladesh land records, and its map shows every dag (plot) with its number and shape. These maps come from successive survey operations: the Cadastral Survey (CS), State Acquisition (SA), Revisional Survey (RS) and, where completed, the Bangladesh Survey (BS) or City Survey. Survey and mapping work is carried out by the Directorate of Land Records and Surveys (DLRS).

Different surveys can show the same land with different dag numbers and shapes, so the deed, khatian and map must refer to the same survey. We check which records your documents use and work from the matching sheet. Where it helps, we compare more than one survey to explain how a plot has changed.

Why does the ground often not match the map?

Mouza maps were drawn on paper, often decades ago, at a scale where a pencil line can cover a meter or more on the ground. Sheets shrink and distort, rivers move, roads widen and neighbors build where they believe the line runs. A survey that only measures the fence, or only copies the map, misses these differences.

We measure the ground with RTK or total station, fit the digitized mouza sheet to fixed features such as old roads, canals and permanent structures, and overlay the two. The drawing then shows the recorded plot, the land in possession and any overlap with neighbors, roads or khas land, with areas for each.

What can a land survey prove, and what can it not?

A survey establishes position, shape and area. It does not establish ownership. Title depends on deeds, the khatian (record of rights), mutation and land tax records, which a lawyer should verify before purchase. The two checks work together: the legal search confirms who owns the dag, and the survey confirms where that dag is.

If a boundary is disputed, an official measurement through the government land office or the courts may be required. Our report gives you the facts to discuss with neighbors and lawyers, and to decide whether that step is worth taking.