The Punjab government is facing an uphill battle over the computerisation of land records. The revenue department has catalogued the resistance it currently faces from the land mafia and some revenue functionaries.
Despite the hurdles, the Punjab government intends to complete the project by November, 2015, according to a progress report on the land records management and information systems projects.
The report — submitted to the Supreme Court by senior Board of Revenue member Nadeem Ashraf — says the project is a top priority for the government however it faces certain limitations, and therefore requires additional time for completion.
The Supreme Court had directed all provincial governments on June 15, 2010, to computerise their land records.
The report says the Revenue Department is facing strong resistance from the land mafia and certain revenue functionaries. In several districts, some records, including the register haqdaran zameen, field books, garwari, taghaurat and mutations, have gone “missing”. This requires detailed reconstruction of records and the government has spent considerable time trying to retrieve these records, the report says.
The government has admitted that there were some errors in the documents. For example, some of the details in RHZ and shajra nasb do not match. A lot of the mutations have also not been consigned in tehsil record rooms. The report says that the government has so far scanned 31 million pages and computed the data of 55.7 million land owners.
The report says that the government has established a data centre for this in Lahore in collaboration with the PTCL. The government has purchased computers and equipment and set them up in 142 service centres in the province.
The report says that the government established the office of the assistant director for land records (ADLR) to check corruption in the Revenue Department. As many as 88 ADLRs have been inducted through the Punjab Public Service Commission and posted at the operations service centre. The report says 217 more ADLRs would be recruited soon.
The report says the issuance of fard and the attestation of mutations will be carried out at service centres established in each tehsil. The relevant forms will carry photographs and thumb impressions of applicants, the report says.
Land records computerised so far have been uploaded on the department’s website. This way, anyone can access land records at any time, it says.
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif chairs a progress review meeting in this regard each month.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 4th, 2014.
COMMENTS (7)
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Report says that ADLR office to check the corruption, even they are attesting the mutation & mostly them self guilty according to the people complaint, then how can they check??. Only the work of Fard issuance is transparent, satisfied & without corruption. ADLRs are spoiling the office environment on mobilizing & motivating the other staff members to get in the corruption. How can they check??? SMBR sb must take the public views as well.
Patwari's are not giving the right record and delaying due to their stakes. Everybody in the Govt. and in service are afraid of Patwari's, because they are working for them and knows the real power of patwari. Until or unless the DCO's pressurise their subordinates the record will not be computerized with true spirit.
@K. Javaid True revenue department officials, Patwari's and local government officials cooperation is vital. But if they are not cooperating should not justify false records to be computerized. As it was suggested that Punjab government should ask local courts to provide all land cases records so that related land records also to be computerize till final court decisions. Otherwise, the whole excercise would create further mess, judges will face problems which records to follow for fair judgements, actual unfortunate owners will face another giant issue which record to present, revenue officers and Patwari's will become more rich and off course, land mafia's will enjoy such a mess.
Its a good suggestion to separate disputed record before being computerized. As I am a part of that new system. Major issue is the Govt. Officers in Revenue Department and also District Governments that are not willing for this system to be completed successfully.
Fraudulent records computerization will be a time bomb in coming future. Lahore and its surroundings lands, revenue records, patwari records, existing kabza's by land mafia will be challenged n we like or not Punjab government and its CM would be held accountable. It would be extremely advisable for Punjab government to NOT to computerize any land record which is sub judicial and wisdom should be to collect all court cases (land related) and separate it from other valid ownership records.
Perfect! this is all very good i cant complain at all. Because if i do then i will damage democracy. But it is my request to all the PPP and PMLN supporters to never ever question such acts which have not only been neglected but also endorsed by your leaders. we as a country deserve mafias and misery. brilliant work!
Patwari's last stand.