Fard issuance being brought in list of online services
Land record of remaining 18 distts to be digitized before March
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 9: For the first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, the Revenue Department is poised for major reforms in the next few months as detailed exercise in this regard is going on strictly as per the instructions of the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. These steps will go a long way in checking manipulation of land record and reducing public interface with the department officials thereby ensuring hassle-free services.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that implementation of Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP) in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is aimed at providing services to the common people in the most transparent and accountable manner and to stop manipulation of land record, has already picked up required momentum.
Under this programme, entire land record of Jammu and Srinagar districts has already been digitized and is available online on the Land Records Information System developed by the Revenue Department for easy access by the public. By using this portal, people can get copies of land record in Hindi, Urdu and English languages.
Moreover, copies of the land record of remaining 18 districts have been scanned and digitization process will begin shortly as detailed exercise in this regard has already been initiated by the Revenue Department, sources informed.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has already stated that journey to make governance system truly transparent and accountable in the Revenue Department of the Union Territory, which has begun from Jammu and Srinagar districts, will not stop until it is achieved completely and all out efforts are being made by the department in this regard. Hopefully by the beginning of next financial year major reforms will start showing results, sources further said.
When contacted, Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, Revenue Department Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said, “we are working on different options for digitization of land record of remaining 18 districts and final decision will be taken very shortly so that within next few months land record of entire Union Territory is available on the Land Records Information System for easy access by the public”.
“Not only this, we will also link the digitized land record with the Registration so as to facilitate the people in getting almost all the services related to the land record online”, he further said, adding “this will reduce public interface with the officers and ultimately there will be no manipulation and corrupt practices”
Further, the Revenue Department is already on the job to develop a mechanism of sending SMS alerts to all the owners of land in any Khasra number whenever anyone of them carries out property transaction and this will curb the land scams up to large extent, the Commissioner Secretary informed, adding “a dedicated team is working in this direction in close coordination with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and service will be rolled out very shortly”.
Disclosing that bringing issuance of Fard in the list of online services of the Revenue Department is his top most priority, Bidhuri said, “in 14 districts of the Union Territory eight services are being given to the public online by the department and information about the same is available on the official websites of these districts. We have decided to include issuance of Fard in these services while extending the facility to remaining six districts in a time bound manner and a trial in this regard is already going on”.
“While bringing issuance of Fard in the list of online services, we will modify the checklist and ensure that minimum possible documents are sought from the applicants”, he further said, adding “at present focus is on bringing maximum services online and thereafter based on the feedback of the people necessary improvements will be carried out in the system”.
In response to a question, Bidhuri said, “we have also developed revenue court cases monitoring system so that pendency and delay is checked at various levels The online module is ready and presently user acceptance test is going one”, adding “this will also be a great service to the common masses, who at present are facing immense difficulties in this regard”
About the encroachments of State land, the Commissioner Secretary said, “targets have been given to all the Deputy Commissioners across the Union Territory for retrieval of land and submission of monthly reports for critical analysis”, adding “based on the feedback obtained from the people during my recent visit to some districts, I have directed the Deputy Commissioners to start land retrieval exercise from the top land grabbers so as to send loud and clear message to everyone that Government is determined to check this practice with iron hands”.
“Geo-tagging of the properties of Aquaf is among the other reforms being carried out by the Revenue Department”, he said in response to another question.
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