Punjab is all set to roll out e-stamping of property registration to facilitate online registration besides making the process completely transparent, hassle free and secure. Interacting with media after inaugurating the new Sub-tehsil office here today, Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia, Revenue & Rehabilitation Minister , Punjab said in the first phase of governance reforms, the government had computerized property records and “now in the second phase we are focusing on making revenue transactions citizen centric and speedy” . He said the government was set to sign an MoU with Stock Holding Corporation of India (SHCIL), a central record keeping agency to implement this system and the Punjab Cabinet had already notified a detailed policy regarding e-stamping.
Majithia said all Deputy Commissioners have been directed to up-grade infrastructure in offices of Registrars to make statewide roll out by 1st January, 2015 possible. SHCIL would impart training to the users, Sub-Registrars Officers and Government Officers for effective implementation as well as monitoring of the system. He said that the government would also watch the interests of stamp vendors, who would be adjusted as franchises in e-kiosks of e-stamping system to give them an opportunity to enhance their earnings. He said under the system all registration deeds requiring stamps above Rs. 50,000 would be covered by e-stamping system. Majithia said in the first phase SAS Nagar, Jalandhar and Bathinda would be covered as Pilot Districts and in December Patiala, Sangrur, Ropar and Amritsar would be covered. By next 3-4 months entire state would be covered under this system.
Majithia said he has just got a consolidated report of under valuation of registered deeds throughout the state and he had asked the revenue department to recover undervalued amount from the buyer besides initiating exemplary disciplinary action against erring officials. He said that the estimate of this undervalued deeds was around 150 crore.He said Punjab government was committed to provide transparent and corruption free environment for registration of properties. He said Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal had already approved initiative to corporatize all offices of Deputy Registrars in the state and a beginning had already been made in Ludhiana and Jalandhar. He said that buyers and sellers of properties could get their properties registered in air conditioned corporate environs of Deputy Registrar offices. He said Punjab is the first state under which all property owners can get “Fard”of their landholdings online by the click of a mouse as Punjab was on verge of completing total computerization of land records.
He said that the Punjab Government had achieved the gigantic task to computerize the entire land records of the state by uploading the land records of 12824 villages on online. Besides this, the State government had taken a series of steps to eliminate the corruption and make process for registration, mutation and pision of land.Mr. Majithia said the Punjab government was committed for ensuring hassle free delivery of citizen services without any middleman and it was the first government that had made over 23 changes in revenue acts to facilitate the transfer and transaction -both agriculture and domestic property.
Earlier, Mr. Majithia accompanied by Mr. NK Sharma, Chief Parliamentary Secretary and Mr. Deepinder Singh Dhillon, President SAD Unit Patiala inaugurated the newly set up Sub-Tehsil here in Municipal Bhawan. He also handed over the first registration certificate of property to Mr. Sharma on the occasion. Later addressing an impressive gathering, Mr. Majithia said that Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal had promised the people of Zirakpur to grant it Sub-Tehsil status two years back and today the mission was accomplished. He promised an air conditioned Sub-Tehsil complex on the occasion. He said that now not only the residents of Zirakpur but also of 34 adjoining village would be immensely benefitted from it. Mr. NK Sharma, Chief Parliamentary Secretary and Mr. Deepinder Singh Dhillon, President SAD Unit Patiala also addressed the gathering.
Earlier during in an interaction with media persons, Mr. Majithia said the alliance of SAD and BJP is rock solid as both the parties jointly sailed through the political storms. He said that this alliance is not due to any inpidual’s whim and fancy but it was an emotional bondage of these two political parties. He said that SAD was the first party to support BJP for constitution of NDA and also supported the candidature of Sh. Narendra Modi for Prime Ministership. Replying a query regarding former BJP MP Mr. Navjot Sidhu’s criticism of SAD leadership, Mr. Majithia described it unfortunate and sad and reminded that during the elections of Mr. Sidhu , it were SAD constituencies which gave him decisive lead.