Inquiry ordered into record rooms fires
Photo: FILE
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has initiated an inquiry into the recent fire incidents that occurred in the “mafooz khanas” (record rooms), resulting in the destruction of valuable land records. The Caretaker Chief Minister, Justice (Retired) Syed Arshad Hussain Shah, chaired a progress review meeting of the Board of Revenue (BoR) on Thursday.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister directed deputy commissioners of all districts to expedite the digitization of land records within the stipulated timeframe. The session evaluated the implementation status of the directives issued in the previous meeting and assessed the overall progress on the computerization and digitization of land records across the province.
Key attendees included Caretaker Minister for Revenue and Finance, Ahmed Rasool Bangash, Caretaker Minister for Science, Technology & Information Technology (ST&IT), Dr. Najeeb Ullah, Senior Member Board of Revenue Ikramullah Khan, and other relevant authorities.
The meeting highlighted that following the chief minister’s intervention due to the sluggish progress of the land record computerization project, there has been a notable enhancement in the digitization process.
Read Auqaf dept for digitisation of properties
Over the past week, an additional 30 mauzas have become operational across various districts, increasing the total number from 2,356 to 2,386. Simultaneously, the count of manual mauzas has reduced from 813 to 474 within the same timeframe. Notably, in the past 11 days, 31 mauzas have been brought online, including 10 in Bannu, six in Abbottabad, seven in Charsadda, three in Peshawar, three in Kohat, and one each in Swat and Shangla.
However, during this period, 261 mauzas have been earmarked for the cessation of manual mutations, with 15 in Haripur, 10 in Swat, 11 in Shangla, 44 in Bannu, 15 in Peshawar, 159 in DI Khan, and seven in Battagram.
Addressing concerns about record rooms previously set ablaze, the caretaker chief minister ordered an inquiry against implicated officials, emphasizing a zero-tolerance stance on malpractices.
He asserted that stringent legal actions would be taken against any elements involved in wrongdoing. Emphasizing the significance of land records computerization, he stated that it is a pivotal goal for the caretaker provincial government, aiming to alleviate public challenges once fully implemented.
To expedite the land records computerization, deputy commissioners across all districts have been set realistic targets. The introduction of the “Land Records Computerization Tracking System” on the PMRU portal facilitates daily progress monitoring.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 1st, 2023.