By Mohammad Amin Mir
The Karnataka government has resolved to implement automatic mutation of land records from Wednesday, March 13, 2024, with the primary objective of eliminating the role of intermediaries and sparing landowners the ordeal of frequenting the offices of tahsildars.
Experts from the IT sector have divulged that automatic mutation shall be effectuated in cases pertaining to land mortgages for bank loans, property division, land acquisition, and court-mandated directives.
Approximately 72% of alterations in land records, particularly in Pahani/RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy, and Crops), will transpire autonomously, devoid of human intervention. Under the prevailing system, modifications in Pahani necessitate the biometric authentication of revenue inspectors. The advent of automated mutation will obliterate such procedural impediments, ensuring that all modifications in RTCs are meticulously documented on the designated digital portal.
Scrutinizing the modifications executed in RTCs over the past six months, experts have observed that while 72% of changes are seamlessly automated, the remaining 28% necessitate manual intervention. Certain transactions—sale deeds, partition deeds, inheritance matters, guardianship of minors, and disputed land cases—remain beyond the ambit of automation. In such instances, applicants are accorded a 15-day notice period for requisite processing.
The introduction of automated land record mutation is poised to eradicate the protracted bureaucratic formalities, alleviate the workload of officials, and dismantle the entrenched network of intermediaries. This progressive initiative will substantially curtail the necessity of physical visits to tahsildar offices, thereby enhancing administrative efficacy.
In a parallel development, the government has mandated the operation of sub-registrar offices within urban municipal jurisdictions on Sundays. In each city corporation, one sub-registrar office will function on a rotational basis, catering to the exigencies of both public and private sector employees.
Given that numerous employees grapple with weekday constraints, this initiative shall facilitate their ability to undertake property registrations and other official procedures on Sundays. However, only individuals with prior appointments shall be granted access to these offices.
Karnataka boasts ten city corporations, where Bengaluru has already witnessed Sunday operations in sub-registrar offices. Nevertheless, public response has been tepid, largely attributable to inadequate dissemination of information. To ameliorate employee welfare, those assigned Sunday duty shall be compensated with a weekday off, preferably on Tuesdays, given that property registrations are relatively sparse on that day.
While Karnataka spearheads the transition toward technologically driven land governance, our revenue department has also witnessed commendable advancements. The implementation of the “Aap Ki Zameen, Aap Ki Nigrani” initiative has digitized land records, making them readily accessible through a citizen-centric online portal. The successful execution of this monumental task merits accolades for the entire revenue department, particularly the patwaris and the Financial Commissioner (Revenue).
Despite widespread approbation for the digitalization of land records, discrepancies in digitized Jamabandis persist, inconveniencing numerous landowners whose recorded entries diverge from the digital database. Rectifying these inconsistencies and elevating the existing digital framework to match Karnataka’s automated mutation system remains an imperative necessity.
By integrating cutting-edge automation into land record management, we can eradicate administrative inefficiencies, empower citizens, and usher in an era of seamless, corruption-free governance.
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