J&K’s scanned land documents by RAMTECH require rectifications, opening of closed registers

By Mohammad Amin Mir

The Revenue Department has initiated a massive exercise to rectify errors in digitized land records, following concerns over inaccuracies that have caused significant difficulties for citizens. The process, which began a few months ago, aims to address widespread issues such as spelling mistakes, incorrect entries, and improperly maintained records. Many individuals have reported facing challenges in accessing their records, often being forced to navigate a cumbersome and time-consuming process. This issue is particularly pronounced in villages with outdated records.

The Revenue Department has issued directives for a comprehensive correction of errors, including spelling mistakes and factual inaccuracies in land ownership and tenancy columns. These records, digitized several years ago, were found to contain numerous discrepancies. To address this, Regional Director Offices (RDOs) were instructed to hold meetings with Tahsildars over a year ago, and field staff were regularly briefed on the necessary corrections.

The RDOs directed all Tahsildars under their jurisdiction to verify entries, regardless of whether complaints were filed. Although the correction process began a few months ago, the allocated time frame for completion has proven insufficient.

The number of complaints regarding errors is notably higher in larger towns and areas with frequent land sale transactions. In contrast, rural regions with fewer land sales and subdivisions have reported fewer discrepancies. Despite the varying number of complaints, the Department has committed to cross-checking every digitized record against physical documents to ensure accuracy.

The Department is also considering automating the name transfer process for survey numbers after sale deeds are executed in the Registration Department. This system, which would link land records with the Registration Department, is expected to simplify the process and reduce delays. Currently, buyers often face prolonged waits for name transfers, even though the process is straightforward unless land subdivision is involved.

Experts within the Revenue Department suggest that name transfers for survey numbers (where no subdivision is required) could be completed at the registration office post-sale. The system would minimize human intervention and streamline operations. However, officials emphasize the need to capture buyers’ contact details to ensure SMS alerts reach beneficiaries, as many currently do not receive notifications.

The digitization of records, spanning from the first settlement to the pre-digitalization era, was outsourced to RAMTECH, a renowned private company. While RAMTECH’s round-the-clock efforts were commendable, issues arose during the final stages of the project. A lack of technical staff on the government’s side led to over-reliance on the company, which took advantage of this gap by scanning unnecessary or blank pages.

This discrepancy caused a dispute between the government and RAMTECH, prompting the government to mandate a thorough recount of all scanned books and pages at both the Patwar and record room levels. Additionally, many scanned documents uploaded by RAMTECH are improperly labeled or inaccessible. For instance, in the Land Records Information System (Aap ki Zameen Aap Ki Nigrani) for Kurigam village in Qazigund tehsil, Anantnag district, attempting to access the Girdawari for survey number 55 for 1999-2000 opens a mutation register instead. Many registers fail to open directly, requiring users to navigate page by page, making the process tedious.

It is anticipated that the final page count will be lower than the figure provided by RAMTECH once the recount is completed across the Union Territory. To address these issues, it is recommended that RAMTECH review and modify its processes to ensure all scanned books open seamlessly. Additionally, mutations attested post-scanning should be digitized and uploaded immediately.

Another critical issue is the duplication of village names across tehsils, leading to records being uploaded incorrectly. For example, records for Shoolwanpora village in Anantnag tehsil were mistakenly uploaded under Sransoo Shampora village in Qazigund tehsil. Such errors require urgent correction to ensure accurate record-keeping.

The author serves as an Office Patwari at the Qazigund Tehsil Office.