Land data retrieved from patwaris

[Salman]

LAHORE: The Land Records Management Information Systems (LRMIS) Project, a mega project related to property record and transactions, is to be completed by June 30.

The project minimises the role of manual work by patwaris in property transactions, officials say, adding as resistance from patwaris was expected, a steering committee by the Punjab government planned meeting with patwaris in 20 districts to talk out their concerns.

The committee consisted of Board of Revenue senior member Nadeem Ashraf, Planning and Development Department Chairman (also LRMIS project director) Irfan Elahi and others.

“Finally, a senior official (Maqbool Ahmad Dhawla, land director) was assigned to visit districts in order to ensure the completion of the task in the stipulated time,” says a senior official.

He said during the marathon field visits, they found patwaris were unaware of the computerisation of land data to be done under the project, and of amendments to the Land Revenue Act of 1967 and Land Revenue Rules of 1968.

The committee adopted a carrot and stick policy for the patwaris.

They were offered either to be part of the project and train on legal issues or face the reaction that can end up in their dismissal from service.

This policy worked and the patwaris helped the senior officials in the compilation of data.

During the compilation, the officials ensured that entry of tampered with or fake data was caught.

“The land record is not limited to a patwari alone, as its copies (part in revenue term) are also available with various offices, including the revenue record rooms of the offices of DCOs,” said an official.

“If a patwari is caught committing such crime, it means he has lost his job and will face fraud charges,” he explained.

The official said the exercise took up several tasks during the compilation such as correction, verification and scanning of record and its entry into a software.

After the record is inserted into the system, patwaris’ role in property transaction will be no more, the official added.

As the deadline is round the corner, he said, 100 per cent of the record had been scanned and 23,500 mauzas, of 25,000, had been inserted in the software of LRMIS system.

Landowners can approach their respective service centre to get any property deal done, or obtain land record in minutes.

The government has set up 143 service centres at tehsil level where officials are under scrutiny.

“This includes bio-metric attendance of officials, a log trail system to check entries by the staff, CCTV cameras in offices and prohibition of the use of mobile phone in centres by the officials,” he said.

He said the software was also being upgraded that would make the centres’ official unable to amend the record.

He said the land record related to the Lahore Development Authority or other development authorities’ residential schemes, private housing societies, cantonment and Defence would also be incorporated in the system.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2015