LDA to verify property deals through NADRA database

Special counter established at development authority’s One-Window Cell

LAHORE: Under an agreement signed a few months ago, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has gained access to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) database for online verification of citizens visiting its office for property-related matters.

A special counter of NADRA has been established at the LDA One-Window Cell, which has been provided online access to the centralised citizens’ database for biometric verification of persons approaching the city builder for property transactions.

LDA Director General Sumair Ahmad Syed inaugurated the NADRA special counter by conducting his biometric verification on Wednesday. He highlighted that the facility would authenticate the genuineness of the sellers and purchasers in all property transactions. “As soon as a citizen places his thumb on the biometric scanner, the system will verify the credentials in real-time through the online system,” he said.

The system will also provide access to the family tree and other details of the relevant parties, which will help eliminate disputes. The DG said one of the main advantages associated with biometric technology was high identification accuracy of the individuals.

The biometrics system relies on the use of unique physical traits, including fingerprints. Biometric technology is a very accurate technique of verifying citizens’ identity and has a proven track record in many sectors throughout Pakistan.

The official said that unlike the use of other forms of authentication, such as passwords or tokens, biometric recognition provides a strong link between an individual and a data record. One area where biometrics can provide substantial help is in guarding against attempts to fraudulently establish multiple identities.

The NADRA special counter has been set up as the first step for all LDA customers visiting the authority’s offices for any property transaction. NADRA officials will conduct biometric verification of the applicants. The system will also provide family details, marital status and other relevant data.

He highlighted that the system has various options to verify the identity of family members through birth date, marriage information and adoption.

The database will be periodically syncronised with the LDA system. All the verified data will be transferred to the LDA system for future use. The system will provide a foundation for future initiatives as it would be difficult to forge documents following direct online access to the NADRA database.

As per standard operating procedures (SOPs), NADRA’s authorised staff will capture and process fingerprints of the applicant for authentication. The biometric devices will be used to capture the impressions and sent to the NARDA data warehouse for verification. If the captured finger impressions match the stored fingerprint in NADRA database, authentication will be completed by giving the required data of the applicant. If not, a message, “Not a valid fingerprint against CNIC,” will pop up. The requirements of the system for verification include a valid CNIC and biometric capture of fingerprint.

The same message will pop up on the next window, which is under use of an LDA representative who will process the case as per the SOPs.

Similarly, on the production of marriage certificate, NADRA will only verify the marital status of the applicant and spouse information if the applicant updates his or her application in the record and on the production of a death certificate, it will verify that the CNIC of the deceased person is marked cancelled due to death.

NADRA will charge the verification fee if the validation is provided by the system, the LDA DG said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2020.