Land record computerisation: Pindi government misses revised deadline

The target of June 30, 2014 was revised to August 31, 2014.

ISLAMABAD:

The City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) has missed the revised deadline of August 31 to complete the computerisation of land record in Rawalpindi District.

The deadline of the project, which began in 2009, and was supposed to be completed by June 30, 2014, was revised to August 31 this year. However, even after the expiry of the second deadline, 20 per cent work is still left in seven tehsils of the district.

According to data collected by The Express Tribune, out of a total of 1,229 villages of the seven tehsils of the district, including Rawalpindi, Murree, Kotli Sattian, Kallar Syedan, Kahuta, Gujar Khan and Taxila, land record of 980 villages has been completed and 249 are left.



An official in the city administration said the delay was due to the resistance shown by the patwaris (revenue officers), lack of relevant staff and nonexistence of record from early 1950s, among several other reasons.

The official, who is closely monitoring the project, said initially patwaris opposed the project and tried to create hurdles, adding that in some areas fewer staff was deputed which resulted in the delay. Murree and Kallar Syedan are leading as far as computerisation of the land record is concerned, where 98 per cent land record has been computerised. In Murree, out of 115 villages, land record of 98 villages has been completed. In Kallar Syedan, out of 106 villages, land record of 80 villages has been completed.



The officials admitted they had failed to meet the deadlines arguing it was not an easy task to computerise records from the 1950s. “Despite the resistance of patwaris who created hurdles and the old record, 98 per cent land record has been computersied,” said Murree Assistant Commissioner (AC) Tahir Farooq.

The AC said since the project started, a total of 15 revenue officers were deputed in the city. He said that four were suspended due to corruption charges but the administration continued its work and managed to complete 80 per cent of the work. Farooq said the record would be online at the end of the month.

Out of 352 villages in Rawalpindi, land record of 318 has been completed. In Gujar Khan, out of 384 villages, record of 280 villages has been completed.

Similarly, in Kotli Sattian, out of total of 58 villages, land of 40 villages has been completed. In Kahuta, out 160 villages land of 135 villages has been computersied. Repeated attempts were made to contact Rawalpindi Commissioner Zahid Saeed, and District Coordination Officer Sajid Zafar Dal, however, both were not available for comments.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2014.