Ad hoc arrangements in majority of Sub-Registrar offices
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Oct 5: Uploading of legacy data of last 20 years on the National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) portal has yet not been started by the Department of Registration of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir even more than one year after the announcement in this regard. Moreover, majority of the Sub-Registrar officers are functioning on ad hoc arrangements although there is requirement of posting regular officers particularly at the district headquarters level keeping in view the workload.
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The Department of Registration under the administrative control of Revenue Department was created as an independent and exclusive department vide Government Order No. 117-Rev (S) of 2019, dated 24th of October, 2019, upon the reorganization of the erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories in terms of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019.
With the reorganization of erstwhile State, Jammu and Kashmir Registration Act 1977 was repealed and the Registration Act, 1908 made applicable for registration of immovable properties and various types of deeds and documents.
Thereafter, National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) developed by the Software Development Unit (SDU), NIC Pune on the initiative of Department of Land Resources, Government of India under “One Nation One Software” program for online registration of documents was adopted initially in five districts—Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur and Srinagar.
Later, online registration of documents through NGDRS was extended to the remaining 15 districts of the Union Territory of J&K on 9th of November, 2020 and since then the online registration system is working smoothly across the UT of J&K with all the stakeholders striving hard to work cohesively to offer transparent, speedy, accessible and efficient document registration services to the citizens.
On March 13, 2023, it was announced that legacy data of last 20 years will be scanned, digitized and uploaded on National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) Portal for the convenience of the citizens and sufficient safety equipments will be installed to prevent any damage to the record of registration documents in the Sub-Registrar offices, sources told EXCELSIOR.
However, till date the uploading of legacy data has not been started by the Department of Registration although in some official meetings it was assured by the department that entire exercise right from accord of Administrative Approval/ Technical Sanction to preparation of Detailed Project Report and floating of tender will be completed within six months, sources informed.
It is pertinent to mention here that legacy data is with the judiciary which used to conduct registration before November 2019 (before Constitutional Amendments). “Due to delay in integration of legacy data with NGDRS the search facility of legacy data is not available to Sub-Registrar offices or citizens”, sources further informed.
“The Detailed Project Report is presently under re-examination in the Department of Registration as certain queries/observations were raised by the Finance Department”, sources disclosed. However, they expressed inability to specify time-frame for completion of exercise despite the fact that it would be only after re-submission of Detailed Project Report and its approval that tenders will be floated for inviting bids for scanning, digitization and uploading of legacy data on NDGRS portal, which again is a time-consuming exercise.
As far as installation of sufficient safety equipments in the offices of Sub-Registrars, sources said, “though wardrobes have been provided and CCTVs installed yet other high-tech gadgets for enhanced safety purpose are yet to be made available”.
They informed that majority of Sub-Registrar offices are functioning on ad hoc arrangements as additional charge of Sub-Registrar posts has been assigned to Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) or Assistant Commissioners of Revenue (ACRs). “Actually, there is requirement of posting regular officers against the posts of Sub-Registrars particularly at the district headquarters and in important sub-divisions keeping in view the workload”, sources said while disclosing that there are only few Sub-Registrar offices where regular officers have been posted till date.
When contacted, an officer, while wishing anonymity, said, “the Revenue Department, which is having administrative control over Department of Registration, is planning to analyze the workload in each and every Sub-Registrar office across the Union Territory and thereafter decision will be taken about posting of regular officers”.
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