Why property registration at Pune sub-registrar office is a two-day affair

PUNE Crowding and long queues at the sub-registrar’s offices have continued, leaving citizens who wish to register property or register certificates related to other matters in a state of despair.

To make matters worse, the perennial problem of “servers down” has still not been solved, despite the department being responsible for large amounts of revenue coming in to the government’s coffers.

For a citizen who wishes to complete a task related to the sub-registrar offices, a minimum of two working days is required.

Raghvendra Shevale is one of many such people at the joint sub-registrar haveli 21 and 22, in Erandwane, waiting for his turn in the queue. He wants to register his apartment in the Kharadi area. “I have been here for more than three hours and my turn still hasn’t come. Servers had gone down and the work resumed once they were restored. I had been told by the developer’s office to spare three days to complete this work. I am mentally prepared. I had to take off from work to do this. There are 24 flat owners from our scheme who have come here,” said Shevale.

The department is known to be cash rich as citizens pay large sums as part of stamp duty on the property they purchase. The budgeted estimated collection from stamp duty and registration for the financial year 2021-22 is ₹32,000 crore. At most sub-registrar offices, there is no proper place to sit while the internet connection is often sketchy.

Earlier last week, Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture’s (MCCIA) president Sudhir Mehta, post his visit to sub-registrar’s office, noted that the entire process highlights a “low ease of doing business”.

“A trip to the property registrar’s office reminds you of why we remain so low in the ease of doing business. You have the privilege if 1) Standing outside for hours in the rain/ sun with no place to sit or any basic amenities; 2) Request “Mai- Bap to accept your lacs in transfer charges; 3) bonus opportunity to get Covid in circumstances with no social distancing while getting your fingers full of blue ink; 4) thank the “mai-bap” by Prasad; 5) leaving with feeling we deserve better”, Mehta said in a series of tweets.

There are a total 27 sub registrar offices in Haveli tehsil. Though the registration department has been rolling out online facilities, wait times at the registration offices haven’t reduced. Citizens have demanded that the offices remain open on weekends. “For working people like us, spending a day waiting in queues is not possible. There are some tasks which have to be done through these offices and visiting them becomes inevitable. It will be great if they remain functional on weekends. That way we won’t have to tussle between office work and the registration work,” said Dhanashri Bhagat, who recently visited the sub-registrar’s office to register a rent agreement.

A 64-year-old resident of the Kothrud area who did not wish to be named said that he had come to the office with his whole family to register the family-owned land and every member had to be present. “Elderly people cannot wait for so long. It has been more than two hours. We have asked our lawyer to arrange this. So we could come a little late. People have been waiting here since 6am,” said the elderly resident.