Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday said that the state government will put an end to corruption in property registrations from March by sweeping in reforms in Stamps and Registration Department.
Addressing a regional conference of Farmers’ Coordination Council here, Mr Rao said that the people would no more need to bribe officials to register their lands, obtain pattadar passbooks or for mutations.
“We have purified all land records in state after eight decades. We achieved clarity on ownership of lands. Now there is no confusion on who owns which land parcel. Our next priority is to put an end to corruption in the registration department. In the new system, there will be a registration office for each mandal and MROs themselves will be the sub-registrars. All registrations and mutations should be done within 48 hours after buyers and sellers approach them. If they delay it beyond 48 hours, the government will impose a penalty of Rs 1,000 per day thereafter,” Mr Rao said.
The CM explained how the new system works. “For example, if I want to sell six acres of my land to our agricultural minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy. After we both reach upon an agreement, we will approach the local MRO for registration and seek his appointment. The MRO office has to intimate the date and time of registration. On that stipulated date, we both will visit the MRO office and complete the registration process with passbook. If the officials fail to do so, they have to face a penalty of Rs 1,000 per day, after the due date,” he said.
“The MRO will delete six acres from my passbook and will add six acres entry in the minister’s passbook. The mobile phone numbers, which we have registered in the passbook, will instantly receive messages on this transaction,” he said.
“After registration, the officials should complete mutations within 48 hours. The updated passbooks should be sent by courier service to both the seller and the buyer like we receive passport through the post. There is no need for people to bribe officials for all this like they are forced to do now,” he said. He also said the land will be transferred to the spouse in case of death of the land owner.
“For example, if a husband who owns a land dies in a village, it should be informed to the MRO by local officials within 48 hours. The land will be immediately transferred to his wife, who is the immediate successor as per law. The land records will be updated and new pass book will be issued to his wife. There is no need to run around officials for this or bribe them,” Mr Rao added.
