Old and new survey numbers in Puducherry: Patta, Chitta and the correlation
Why an old Puducherry deed can name a survey number the current FMB does not show, how the correlation statement matches them, and what the Patta and Chitta each tell you.
A common Puducherry title question starts with two documents that do not agree. The deed says survey number 112; the Patta and the FMB sketch talk about 47/3. Usually nothing is wrong. The land was re-surveyed, the numbers changed, and the deed was written before they did.
Why the numbers changed
Puducherry's villages were re-surveyed and given the survey numbers the current records use. A deed written before that, and in Puducherry and Karaikal some chains of title reach back to French-period records, describes the land by the number it had then. One old number can have become several new ones, or part of one, depending on how the re-survey drew the boundaries.
The correlation statement
The correlation statement is the table that matches them: old number in one column, the new number or numbers it became in the other. It is kept for each revenue village and issued by the taluk office. Ask for it by revenue village, quoting the old number from the deed.
Reading the Patta and Chitta
- Patta
- Names the holder recorded against the survey number and gives its extent. It is the revenue department's answer to 'who holds this', not a map.
- Chitta
- The line-by-line account behind it: each survey and subdivision number the holder has in the village, with its extent and classification, such as wet or dry land.
- Survey and subdivision number
- The key to everything else. Copy it exactly, slash and all, into every FMB sketch or village map request.
Check three things against each other: the holder's name on the Patta against the seller on the deed, the extent on the Chitta against the extent in the deed, and the survey numbers on both against the correlation. When all three line up, the map requests are straightforward.
From the record to one map
Once you know the current numbers, get the FMB sketch for each one. A single old survey number that became three new ones is three sketches, and seeing the land the deed described means putting them back together. Joined along their shared boundaries, they show the old parcel as one shape again, which is usually the drawing a buyer or a bank wants to see.
🔗 Puducherry land and survey glossary →Frequently asked questions
How do I find the new survey number for an old one in Puducherry?+
Ask the taluk office for the correlation statement of your revenue village, quoting the old number from the deed. It lists the new number, or numbers, that the old one became after the re-survey.
Is the Patta proof of ownership?+
It is the revenue record of who holds the land, which is why buyers and banks ask for it, but title comes from the registered deeds and the chain behind them. Read the Patta alongside the deeds and an Encumbrance Certificate.
Why does one old survey number match several FMB sketches?+
Because the re-survey drew the boundaries afresh, and one old parcel can now be several new survey or subdivision numbers. Each has its own FMB sketch; joining them shows the old parcel as one shape.