‘Patwaris’ asked to finalise inventory of land records

The Rawalpindi District Administration has asked the revenue department to finalise the manual inventory of land records by February 28 in a bid to eliminate the archaic patwarkhana system and minimise the posiblity of tempering with land records.

According to well-placed sources, all patwaris and tehsildars have been asked to get the job done before the deadline, otherwise, cases would be registered against the revenue officials.

A senior officer at the Rawalpindi commissioner's office revealed on the condition of anonymity that the newly appointed Rawalpindi Division Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha has taken strict notice of the purported negligence and incompetence in the revenue department in all six districts of the division.

He said the Punjab government has already provided all the resources to digtise land records 8 years ago. Moreover, land record offices were also set up at various locations across the division, but millions of citizens are facing serious problems in buying and selling their properties due to the laxity of the revenue department officials.

Manual work, he said, increases the possibility of tempering with records and gives way to corruption.

The officer said that commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha has fixed the deadline for finalising the manual inventory of the land records.

The deputy commissioners and additional deputy commissioners of all districts of the division have been informed about the decision and the Rawalpindi commissioner is reportedly monitoring the work daily.

Overseas Pakistanis have to deal with the most problems due to the ‘patwari culture’, the officer said. Citizens have to go around the land registrar's offices for several months for even minor pieces of work, he added.

The deputy commissioners of all the districts have been given an action plan, he said adding that all tehsildars who were posted in Rawalpindi in the past and had left without completing their tasks have now been summoned to Rawalpindi again.

They have been directed to complete their tasks along with the patwaris and submit reports to the commissioner.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2023.