Green Property Certificate made must

Digital record to replace traditional sale document in Punjab

LAHORE:

The Punjab government has made the Green Property Certificate (GPC) mandatory for the sale, purchase, mortgage, gift and other transfers of immovable property across the province from July 1, replacing the traditional Fard-e-Bai (sale record) for most transactions as part of a major overhaul of the land administration system.

The existing ownership record will continue to be issued as before. However, all property transactions will now require a Green Property Certificate, which the government says marks the beginning of Punjab's transition to a paperless land record system.

To implement the new system, surveyors have been deployed in all tehsils under the Punjab Land Records Authority (PLRA). They have been authorised to verify land records and issue Green Property Certificates after completing field verification.

Five surveyors have been assigned to each tehsil with Lahore's 10 tehsils having 50 surveyors.

Under the new procedure, a surveyor will first verify the property's ownership, possession and location. After the survey is completed, an online public notice will be issued for 15 days to invite objections. If no objection is received during that period, the Green Property Certificate will be issued.

According to the PLRA, the certificate is an official document that verifies a property's ownership, legal status and possession. The authority says it is intended to reduce fraud, forgery and property disputes by ensuring that ownership and land records are properly verified before a transaction is completed.