Soon, access your land records online
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, January 20
In the absence of a conclusive title guarantee, the piece of land that you may be holding in your name may not after all be yours. The current provisions in the Registration Act (1908) do not confer clear property titles on the owners in the country.
However, all this is expected to change as the National Land Records Modernisation Programme (NLRMP) is supporting the states in the computerisation of land records with the ultimate goal of providing conclusive titles to land owners.
While Gujarat has taken a lead in the digitisation of land records, Uttarakhand is halfway. The hill state has computerised the registration of land titles and is now aiming at digitising land records on a pilot basis first in the districts of Almora and Pauri.
Essentially, it will mean digitisation of nearly 25,000 maps that are etched on cloth and are in the possession of patwaris. Once these are digitised, the practice of carrying maps to sites by patwaris will end. Not only would the maps be available with the land titles but would also be possible to carry out division of land on maps accurately and precisely.
“It is a long and arduous process but has several benefits, including availability of agricultural land on cellphones,” said GC Gunwant, staff officer with the Revenue Board.
After the digitisation process, a resurvey would be conducted to look into claims and disputes. The digitisation process will be carried through private firms for which tenders will be floated. Further, modern record rooms at tehsils will also be set up. Significantly, the last bandobast in the rural areas of the state was undertaken in the 60s.
Experts say the modernisation of land records will also cut down crime rate. In Dehradun alone, several property dispute cases are being fought in lower courts as land titles are presumptive in nature and not conclusive in nature.
