Simplified
and Transparent Administration of Registration rises in Registration
Dept
CHENNAI:
The Simplified and Transparent Administration of Registration (STAR)
project, an IT-enabled service implemented in the Registration
Department, has brought about an image change for the
corruption-infested department.
``What used to take a month, that, too, after giving speed money, now
takes just an hour,'' beams Pradeep Yadav, Inspector General,
Registration. He was referring to the issuance of the encumbrance
certificate, which the department is doing online for the last 10 days.
The history of each plot, every sale ever effected, is recorded at the
Sub-Registrar's offices. When a transaction is effected, an encumbrance
certificate is obtained to establish the ownership and status of the
land. But the procedure had its pitfalls - it could be manipulated by
vested interests. And the department slowly earned a reputation of being
slothful, corrupt.
``Now, for Rs. 100 more, applicants can receive the EC within 60
minutes, with no deliberate omissions or delays. This way land disputes
can be brought down,'' says Yadav.
Known for its cumbersome processes, the Registration Department had
become synonymous with red tapism and turned into a haven for `brokers'
who mislead the public.
``Only licensed deed writers can record transactions. Though the
Registration Act permits everybody to write, the archaic language
inherited from the British made it possible for the traditional deed
writers to make a killing,'' observes Yadav.
Step one, logically, was evolving modern deeds minus the heavy language,
which is now available online.
``Registrants can download the format and include personal details. To
give the whole thing a personal touch, we have left some space left for
the applicants to make their comments,'' informs Yadav.
The next step was to make certified copies redundant. The certified copy
that accompanied the deed was also to be prepared by a licensed copier.
Advent of technology such as photocopying was of little consequence
because the photocopying could not be preserved for long, explains Yadav.
Guideline values, for long a trade secret of the Sub-Registrars, had
been demystified. This also has been uploaded on to the homepage http://www.igregn.tn.nic.in.
After submitting the physical dimensions of their land and building, the
registrant can prepare the property valuation document online. Yadav
believes once transparency is ensured, malpractices would come to an
end.
The change is the culmination of a three-year-long project that
envisaged creation of digital archives by scanning all documents in the
Sub-Registrar's offices, simplification of process and eliminating
middlemen while removing the drudgery for officials.
To take the process a step further, the REGiNET was launched on
September 13. As many as 20 centres have been networked making it
possible for a resident of Mylapore to obtain any land deed from any
other office. This is being monitored by the network's neural centre at
Deputy Inspector General's office.
Touted to be the first successful attempt at large-scale e-governance,
350 offices out of the 650 have been computerised in the first phase
with the rest to be covered by March 2003.
Since the launch, 1454 ECs have been issued from the nerve centre and
another 1140 from other offices. As many as 36 applications were
received online in 10 days, according to Yadav.
