Online land records: Patwaris not going anywhere

IT ministry misses two deadlines to complete computerization, ICT mulls doing it internally.

ISLAMABAD:

Despite substantial allocations, a host of officials and a huge amount of time, a project as important as the computerisation of the capital’s land records remains incomplete. Worse still, no one has been punished for the poor pace of work.

According to sources privy to the developments, the information technology ministry has failed to complete the computerisation of land record, originally due in 2011. The ministry also missed a second deadline in 2013. To illustrate how slow work has been, the data for only 13 out of a total of 112 villages has been processed.

In 2009, the Pakistan People’s Party government had launched the Rs84million project, with the Electronic Government Directorate (EGD), a department of the IT ministry, as the executing body with facilitation from the ICT Administration.

After the completion of the project, all the details were to be made public eliminating any chances of fraud in sale deeds.

The ministry could not complete it reportedly due to reasons such as nonpayment of funds, and resistance from revenue officers.

The official said that Rs35million has yet to be paid to the contractors.

It has been learnt that the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration will now execute the project itself.

A summary of the revised PC- 1 has been forwarded for approval. After approval, the ICT can take over the project.

“In order to expedite the process the decision is taken and the ICT administration will complete it in 2015,” said an official.

When asked if the cost will escalate after approval of revised PC-1, he claimed that administration will try to complete it within the existing budget.

Giving the example of the Punjab province, the official said that the computerisation process has been successfully implemented in different areas of the province because the relevant district coordination officers were executing the projects, adding that when the provincial IT ministry was executing the same projects, a delay was witnessed there as well.

In Punjab the computerisation process is in its implementation phase, said the official. “If the provincial government can successfully manage the computerisation of land records for thousands of acres, why can’t we?”

IT ministry spokesperson Kamran Ali was unaware of the development.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2014.