GUJRAT: The recent modifications in registration deeds and mutations of property ownership have caused serious operational challenges to the field staff at registration branches and Arazi Record Centres (ARCs) across the region.

Official sources said that the sub-registrars and ADLRs, in their feedback to the district and divisional administration heads, had called changes to LRMIS against the ground realities, which might further cause serious issues.

Punjab Land Records Authority (PLRA)’s software, Land Records Management and Information System (LRMIS), and e-registration applications have recently been modified, which prevented sub-registrars and ADLRs from initiating new tasks of property transactions until pending ones are resolved.

A number of sub-registrars and ADLRs working across the Gujranwala region told Dawn that the attestation of registered documents and mutations involves meticulous verification of fee challans and scrutiny of essential documents, such as power of attorney, sale certificates, guardian certificates and court orders.

These processes are time-intensive, particularly in cases requiring field visits for tax verification or recording statements through local commissions, they said, adding that additionally, numerous documents and mutations remain pending due to ongoing litigation and court-issued injunctive orders, further delaying resolution of the task or transaction of property.

This feature, while addressing pendency, risks bypassing thorough verification, potentially leading to tax evasion and compromising the rights of parties involved in land transactions, said a sub-registrar.

It is learnt that the sub-registrars and ADLRs have asked their assistant commissioners as well as deputy commissioners to approach the hierarchy in the Board of Revenue and PLRA for the grant of a reasonable time limit, preferably one week, for the attestation of registered documents and mutations. They said such an adjustment might enable sub-registrars and ADLRs to perform their duties efficiently while ensuring the integrity of the process.

PLRA spokesman Ali Raza Buttar said that the sub-registrars and ADLRs had been presenting lame excuses to continue the exploitation of clients through delaying tactics in the transaction of property ownership.

He said all such issues had already been addressed. In fact, every modification or new mechanism would always pose a threat to the tactics of exploitation, due to which such elements resist positive change in favour of ordinary people.

Previously, he said, many cases involving mutations and registrations were delayed due to revenue officers and sub-registrars not making timely decisions, even after completing biometric verification and recording statements, which led to an increase in pending cases and caused inconvenience to the general public.

With the new software updates, revenue officers and sub-registrars are required to make a decision on each case within three days after completing the necessary verification, which will ensure that mutations and registrations are processed without undue delay, he concluded.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2025