Needs half a decade more to implement prog across State
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 6: Having access to transparent land records will remain a distant dream for the people of Jammu and Kashmir at least for half a decade more as the Government has missed deadline for digitization of land records even in Jammu and Srinagar districts, which were taken up on pilot basis over two years back.
Due to delay in completion of digitization of land records in Phase-I, uncertainty has also started looming large over the launch of Phase-II from next month as was planned in the year 2015.
In August 2008, the Union Government launched Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP) in order to modernize management of land records; minimize scope of land/property disputes; enhance transparency in the land records maintenance system and facilitate moving eventually towards guaranteed conclusive titles to immovable properties across the country.
However, J&K adopted dilly-dallying approach in the implementation of DILRMP till 2015-16 when J&K Land Records Management Agency, a nodal agency of the Revenue Department, approved plan for computerization/digitization of land records in the State through outsourcing model.
It was decided that in Phase-I, districts of Jammu and Srinagar will be immediately taken up on pilot basis along with parallel activities at State level like scanning of revenue documents/maps and digitalization of cadastral maps (old records of Central Records Rooms of Jammu, Srinagar and current serving records of all districts), establishment of Ground Control Points in all districts and development of web-based enterprise Geo-Information System (GIS).
The Phase-I was to be completed between November 2015 and February 2018. However, the Government has missed this deadline and the same has been attributed to some administrative and procedural formalities.
Stating that more time was required to complete the Phase-I, Minister for Revenue, Abdul Rehman Veeri informed the Legislative Assembly that the Phase-I is now likely to be completed by ending March 2019.
Holding administrative and procedural formalities responsible for delay in starting Phase-I on scheduled date—October 5, 2015, the Minister said, “the project was formally started on April 18, 2016 and April 23, 2016 at Jammu and Srinagar respectively. Further the project remained stalled in Kashmir valley during the period between July 8, 2016 and December 2016”.
“The failure of the Government to meet the deadline for Phase-I has also created uncertainty for start of Phase-II from next month”, official sources said.
As per the implementation plan approved by J&K Land Records Management Agency, the Phase-II is to be implemented from March 2018 to March 2020. Under Phase-II, 10 districts—Poonch, Ramban, Baramulla, Anantnag, Kargil, Udhampur, Leh, Doda, Bandipora and Rajouri will be taken up for implementation of DILRMP.
Similarly, Phase-III will be implemented between April 2020 and March 2022 and under this phase the districts of Kathua, Kulgam, Shopian, Budgam, Reasi, Ganderbal, Pulwama, Kupwara, Kishtwar and Samba will be taken up.
Keeping in view the delay in implementation of DILRMP in pilot districts nobody knows when the Phase-II and Phase-III will be rolled out and completed. “All this clearly indicates that people will have to wait at least till March 2022 for having access to transparent land records system”, sources said.
The official data vis-à-vis implementation of DILRMP reveals that against target of scanning 666.49 lakh revenue documents only 164.61 lakh revenue documents (58.77 lakh in Kashmir and 105.84 lakh in Jammu) have been scanned till December 2017.
Similarly, against target of digitization of 1500 current serving maps 1147 have been digitized in Jammu division. Against target of installation of 7000 Ground Control Points 4594 have been installed in 18 districts while as survey of 4604 Ground Control Points has been conducted against target of 7000.
As against target of establishment of 217 Modern Record Rooms at Tehsil level 29 have been taken up for construction under State Plan. Of these, 22 Modern Record Rooms have been fully completed and one partially. Six Modern Record Rooms are still under construction.
It is pertinent to mention here that major components of the DILRMP are computerization of all land records including mutations, digitization of maps and integration of textual and spatial data, survey/re-survey and updation of all survey and settlement records including creation of original cadastral records wherever necessary, computerization of registration and its integration with the land records maintenance system, development of core Geospatial Information System (GIS) and capacity building.
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