With revenue through property registrations likely to be less than the last fiscal and miss the target, sub-registrar offices have been directed to function.
Property registration is one of the key generators of revenue for the government and had contributed Rs 11,100 crore during 2018-19.
Registration department sources said it would be difficult to achieve the previous years’ collection. “We expected that the revenue would surpass last year’s collection of Rs 11,100 crore, though it would be a herculean task to achieve the projected target of Rs 13,122 crores set by the government. Now, it appears that matching the 2018-19 revenue would be impossible given the coronavirus crisis,” a registration department official said.
March is a crucial month for the department as a large number of documents are registered with financial institutions pushing for housing loans to meet their targets.
Property registrations in the city and suburbs were hit as people postponed registrations due to the coronavirus outbreak. Footfalls at the subregistrar offices are at a minimum.
A sub-registrar from a northern suburb said people were reluctant to visit their offices. “Some offices are deserted because those who had scheduled registrations are not turning up,” the official said. “We do not understand why the government has asked us to work when people have been asked to stay indoors.”
When contacted, a senior official from the registration department said sub-registrar offices were operating as per a government notification issued in view of Covid-19 that exempts the registration department from being shut down.