The Revenue Department in Andhra Pradesh has been building a digitalised system for delivery of services in land and real estate transactions. The State stakes claim to being the first in facilitating land transactions through a Computer Aided Registration of Documents (CARD) project. And, online registration of land-related transactions is common.
Fixing accountability on officials concerned is, of course, not opposed by any wing of the Department. But officials are wary of invoking penal clauses when it comes to service delivery. “There are network-related issues. Connectivity has been the main cause for concern as we are unable to deliver services online,” a senior official said.
“We carry the legacy data that is over 100 years old and there are gaps in digitisation. We don’t have a clear picture of mutations relating to land,” an official of the Stamps and Registrations Department said.
According to him, there are difficulties in tracing the original property owners as there was no updating of records, sub-division of property or the sale deed pattern.
But, Surendra Mohan, project director, Computerisation of Mandal Revenue Offices, says 4.3 crore land records had been computerised, including more than four crore with digital signatures. “Interlinking records with the Mee Seva has made our job easier as MROs, Tahsildars and lower-level officials have been trained in digital signature-related data. It reduces workload by 35 per cent.”