Gone are the days when people submitting documents for registration at the Sub-Registrar’s office in Tamil Nadu had to wait for days to get the registered papers back. In a first, the Tamil Nadu Registration Department has introduced a system where documents submitted for registration would be processed and returned to the parties concerned within minutes.
The ‘First in-First out’ concept is supported by the modified ‘Simplified and Transparent Administration of Registration (STAR) 2.0’ software to facilitate scanning and return of registered documents across the table. This would enable parties to get back their documents after registration and scanning within the given appointment slot.
Though the new facility might slow down the pace of registrations on a given day, it would benefit the public since there would be no need for them to come back to the Sub-Registrar’s for their documents.
“The practice of keeping the registered document pending for scanning till the evening or the next few days is not possible any more. Now documents have to be registered and returned to the party concerned within minutes...only then will the system allow fresh registration. However, registrations where building/field inspection or additional documents are essential, the process can be kept pending for a day or two," a senior official in the Tamil Nadu Registration Department said.
Appointment tokens for registrations would be given the previous day and applicants would have to be present on time and present the documents. All the 578 Sub-Registrar and 50 District Registrar offices have been computerised to facilitate faster processing of applications submitted by the public.
“This IT-enabled service is quick and transparent. Registration of documents will be strictly on a ‘First in-First out’ basis where there cannot be any scope for jumping seniority or getting preferential treatment. The simplified process eliminates the role of middlemen, saves time and paves way for chronological queuing of registrations. Issues like poor connectivity of internet, owner shut down, server problems that might slow down the registrations have to be addressed effectively,” the official said.
Revenue booster
The revenue by way of stamp duty and registration fee is expected to soar with the advent of STAR 2.0. Money is collected from the public for registering documents related to Conveyance, Exchange, Gift, Mortgage etc. Also, the State earns revenue through registration of Hindu Marriages, Special Marriages, Chits and Societies, Partnership firms, for issuing Encumbrance Certificates , Birth and Death Certificates.
After a lull in 2016-17, when the income generated through registration of documents saw a fall by 18.16@, the number of registrations went up by 9.01% the next year (2017-18), boosting revenue from ₹7007.74 crore to ₹9121.53 crore, a jump by 30.16%.
