Outdated systems, crashing servers and middlemen mafia ensure that people visiting sub-registrar offices wait for hours to get their documents registered, undermining a simplification process announced by the Karnataka government.
Though the simplification of services, including pre-data entry system (PDES), at sub-registrar offices, was announced a year ago, many of them have not started working on the ground, a study of the working of sub-registrar offices by the Right to Information Study Centre has revealed. PDES provides for online booking of time slots for registration of properties.
“The computers and accessories installed are more than a decade old and not compatible with the latest technology. The Kaveri software is being continuously upgraded, by providing patches, to cater to the advanced requirement. However, since computers and accessories are of lower configuration it is resulting in frequent technical failures. Frequent breakdown is ultimately resulting in server problems and thereby the general public are facing abnormal delays in getting timely services due to frequent shutdown of operations of the offices of sub-registrars. During the past one year, the department is unable to provide satisfactory services to the general public due to frequent breakdown in the central server,” the centre’s complaint to Karnataka Lokayukta reads.
The stamps and registration department has developed Kaveri or the Karnataka valuation and e-registration to enable online property registration.
The government is upgrading Kaveri online service, a web-based platform, by installing a new patch (6.8 version). The aim is to simplify land registration, documentation and other processes at sub-registrar offices, prevent middlemen and curb corruption. But the entire process is hanging fire, resulting in more graft, said a source.
Forget registration of sites or executing sale agreements, getting an encumbrance certificate (EC) is also taking a lot of time, allowing touts to offer speedy services for a price, an officer at a Jayanagar sub-registrar office said.
KP Mohanraj, inspector general of registration and commissioner of stamps, admitted there are issues and they are making efforts to solve the same. “There are several softwares integrated with Kaveri interface, including e-Swathu and Bhoomi. The servers have not been able to perform as expected. There is a delay. An upgraded interface, Kaveri 2.0, will be unveiled and these problems will be addressed soon.”
Last Wednesday, the sub-registrar offices stopped receiving Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (RTC) for works like land use conversion as their systems crashed.
An officer said PDES will eliminate middlemen and has become a cause for concern for employees, especially data entry operators (DEOs), who call the shots in these offices. DEOs are outsourced employees, but are crucial for the registration process.
Currently, all registration related works are being performed by DEOs in the offices of the sub-registrars. It is also observed that a majority of DEOs are being continued in the same offices beyond ten years.
