As a major initiative towards good governance and ease of convenience to the citizens, Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, today launched trilingual Land Pass Books in Hindi, Urdu and English making it an easy and simple document for reference and record.Dr Mehta termed the initiative a historical step towards transparency and good governance. He complimented the Revenue, IT and Law departments for making this facility a possibility in a very short time. He asked them to dedicate the facility to all the landowners of the UT by the Independence Day this year.He maintained that this document will decipher the revenue information to land owners in a very lucid form besides acting as a valid paper to present before financial and other institutions. He felicitated the farmers who received this vital document on the occasion.
The CS handed over Land Pass Books to landowners of village Chak Lal Din of Tehsil Jammu West of district Jammu and village Bagh-e-Mehtab of Tehsil Chanpora of district Srinagar respectively.It was revealed that the Land Pass Books issued to landholders contains entry from the Jamabandi in revenue estate, so as to enable the landholder to make its use for credit facilities and for other matters connected therewith. It was therefore called a tool for redressal of different grievances, litigations, disputes at various forums and for reference.It was also stated that the Land Pass Book prescribed by the Revenue Department is true to the record and can be generated online by landholder without visiting a Patwari or Tehsildar or any Revenue office thereby saving his time and energy.
With scanning and digitization of land records already under implementation for the convenience of citizens and under good governance initiative the department has also framed the Jammu and Kashmir Land Passbook Rules-2022 for online issuance of Land Passbook.As far as its legality is concerned the Pass Book is an evidently valid entity carrying same evidentiary value as if being certified copies of Record-of-Rights (Misli Haqiat) for all intents and purposes before courts and financial institutions. It is an authoritative document for grant of financial assistance by a financial institution thereby saving the farmer from visiting revenue offices for securing fards and extracts.
Moreover the farmers were encouraged to provide their Aadhar and Mobile numbers for generating this document online by 15th of August this year. It was also stated that the Pass Books are being rolled out gradually in the areas where land records stand digitized. Seeding of Aadhar and Mobile numbers of landholders in the database will enhance transparency and help citizens in generation of Land Pass Books online, as was informed in the gathering.Besides the DDC Chairpersons from Reasi and Kishtwar the ceremony was attended by Financial Commissioner, Revenue; Principal Secretary, GAD; Commissioner Secretary, RDD; Commissioner Secretary, Revenue; Secretary Law; Commissioner, Survey & Land Records; and many other officers and officials of the department.Meanwhile DC Srinagar handed over the pass books to landowners at Srinagar and all other DCs participated in the event through video conferencing.