Jammu Tawi, Jan 07:
Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu today reviewed the progress of the digitization and computerization of Land Records in J&K under Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP) and expressed concerned over the slow speed and output of the work in a meeting here at the Civil Secretariat.
The Revenue Department that should have fully ready with all the computerization of Revenue record before it was assigned the job of Registration of documents which otherwise was going on smoothly under the Judicial Officers. For effective working of newly created registration departments, the Lt Governor passed the directions for the computerization of registration process and posting of staff for the registration offices to eliminate the inconvenience and harassment to the people.
The Revenue Officers who have been appointed Registrars and Sub-Registrars, however, necessarily demand the relevant revenue record for even properties in the Urban and notified town areas where the definition as given in the Land Revenue Act doesn't applies.
Lt Governor directed for the early completion of writing and computerization of Jamabandis and further directed the officers to club the Phase-II and Phase-III of DILRMP for the completion of the 100 % work by March 2021.
He further directed for displaying the scanned documents at Panchayat level so that the public can have access to those documents.
Touted as ‘very important project' aimed to bring reforms and systematic changes in the revenue department, the sluggish approach of the government has cast doubts over completion of the computerization of the land records in the state as on the new targeted date as fixed.
The Revenue Department has already missed three earlier deadlines – Feb 2018, March 2019 and then June 2019 for completion of the digitization of land records in the twin capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu in phase I.
J&K is already running late in digitization of revenue records. Across India, computerization of land records was initiated in 2008, but the state government due to its dilly-dallying approach adopted it seven years later in 2015.
The digitization process was started by revenue department in 2015 through its land records management agency, a nodal agency of the revenue department.
The official data presented by the then state government in the erstwhile legislative assembly regarding digitization revealed that against the target of scanning 666.49 lakh revenue documents only 164.61 lakh revenue documents (58.77 lakh in Kashmir and 105.84 lakh in Jammu) had been scanned till December 2017.
However, in today's meeting, it was informed to the LG that 90% of revenue records of Jammu and Srinagar Districts have been scanned whereas 95% of the Cadastral maps (Massavis) have been scanned.
In August 2008, the government of India launched digital India land records modernization program (DILRMP) to modernize management of land records, minimize scope of land/property disputes, enhance transparency in the land records maintenance system and facilitate moving eventually towards guaranteed conclusive titles to immovable properties across the country.
Pertinent to mention that the digitization of the land records was to be completed in three phases; in the first phase-1 digitization of the land records of capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu was to be completed by February 2018.
“Delay in completion of first phase will automatically have impact on the other phases in which other areas in the state were to be included,” a senior revenue official told. As per the implementation plan approved by J&K Land Records Management Agency, the Phase-II was to be implemented by March 2018 to March 2020.
Under Phase-II, 10 districts—Poonch, Ramban, Baramulla, Anantnag, Kargil, Udhampur, Leh, Doda, Bandipora and Rajouri will be taken up for implementation of DILRMP.
Similarly, Phase-III will be implemented between April 2020 and March 2022 and under this phase the districts of Kathua, Kulgam, Shopian, Budgam, Reasi, Ganderbal, Pulwama, Kupwara, Kishtwar and Samba will be taken up.
“Delay in completion of first phase will automatically have impact on the other phases in which other areas in the state were to be included,” he added.
Sh. BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; Dr. Pawan Kotwal , Financial Commissioner, Revenue; Sh. Sanjeev Verma, Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Sh. Abdul Majit Bhat , Secretary Revenue; Ms. Sushma Chauhan, Deputy Commissioner Jammu and other senior officers attended the meeting.
