Scoring yet another first with online property registration

E-GOV : KARNATAKA
Scoring yet another first with online property registration
The Financial Express

BANGALORE: Kaveri (Karnataka Valuation and e-Registration) project — the state’s first public-private e-governance initiative for the stamps and registration department — can help cut down time spent on paperwork relating to property registration from 45 days to half an hour.

Kaveri, which was introduced last year, involved the computerization of 202 sub-registrar offices in the state. Today, it is looking at expanding its own scope by connecting to the Bhoomi project (land registration) online and allowing registration of marriages, societies and firms shortly.

“Currently Kaveri is being used only for property registration. We plan to extend this to the registration of firms and societies, and later marriages,” said C Krishnappa, commissioner of stamps and inspector general of registration, government of Karnataka.

The department is also linking Bhoomi with Kaveri, so that land records too can be accessed from the sub-registrars office instead of having to go to taluk offices, he said.

Pune-based C-DAC has provided the software for the project, while CMS Computers Ltd (AP government’s e-seva service provider) and Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) are the service providers for hardware, supporting software and maintenance.

While the government has invested around Rs 1.10 crore on the development of software, service providers have invested around Rs 40 crore on hardware, on data entry and furniture for the system.

“The service providers will be responsible for the execution and administration of the project including manpower deployment, consumable planning, software installation, and site preparation,” said Mr Krishnappa.

The project, based on the Build-Operate-Transfer (BoT) system for a period of five years, would allow people to fulfil the registration process much faster and have instant access to valuation documents, encumbrance certificates and other documents related to land records. Moreover, the computerised process will ensure authenticity of transactions, safeguarding the citizen’s interests against fraud. “Each registration will be maintained in four compact discs (CD) for back-up. Two CDs will be kept in district sub-registrar’s office, one in the local registrar’s office and another CD will be in the head-office. These back-ups will be transferred to the central back-system when it will be ready,” he said.

Kaveri enables property registration within 30 minutes of document submission from the earlier 45-day time period.

The service providers will be allowed to charge Rs 30 per page as scanning fee from the public. “They have to remit Rs 5 to the government and they are allowed to keep Rs 25,” said Mr Krishnappa.

Each registrar office is equipped with a server and an internal network connecting computers, printers, scanners and CD writers within the office including the customer kiosks. A fingerprint scanner and web cameras will capture the finger prints and photograph of the person wishing to register the documents. To facilitate e-governance, all transactions will be recorded in the centralised server, which is accessed by the head office.