CHENNAI: Registering a land transaction is a Herculean task for those who have bought their first property or wish to register it on their near and dear one’s name at the Kodambakkam sub-registrar office. Crowded by the touts, the place is always buzzing with people who are not employed by the government but work at the registrar office. However, they ‘volunteer’ to help the customers register land deals for a fee.
The entire ambience at the Kodambakkam registrar office is unfriendly. Even the CCTVs installed here are either dysfunctional or disabled. “The whole process of registering a land document is manual and one has to run from pillar to post to get things done,” says 76-year-old Chandra Bhusanam. The senior citizen wanted to transfer the land to his daughter’s name but the officials want a NOC (no-objection certificate) from the bank. “It is my property. What has the bank got to do with it?” he fumes.
But officials claim ‘verification purposes’ — if a loan had been taken by pledging the property at the bank, he has to get the NOC for transferring the title deed. “When my daughter took loan using the property, I transferred it in my name. They had done it then. Then why are they objecting on transferring it on her name again?” says Bhusanam. He is thinking of legal remedy.
But the courts can be approached for relief only after exhausting the appeal procedures available within the hierarchy of the registration department, says a woman on condition of anonymity. “Each appellate authority within the registration department takes 2-4 months to pass an order invariably against the registrant. This appeal procedure itself takes at least 6 months,” she adds.
This has forced the people to give in to the unreasonable demands of the registration department, because delays in the adjudication process can put a huge dent in their finances. Sources say such issues could have been sorted out if the whole process is computerised. There would have been no need for senior citizens to come to the registrar office as they could do it from home.
People allege there is no transparency in the entire registration process even as they don’t have any clue of new circulars introduced by the department. “Many intra-department circulars are relied upon by the registration officers and these are not available in the public domain,” say sources. City Express also learnt that the land registration office was shifted to Vadapalani but it still carries the tag of Kodambakkam.
The biggest problem faced by people is that the office lacks a decent toilet and chairs. The office is too cramped and there is hardly any place to move freely. There is no drinking water or bathroom for men and women. The road leading to the registrar office is too narrow for vehicles to park and in case of emergency, it would be quite difficult for an ambulance to enter.
But the biggest issue is the recently introduced mandatory e-payment of stamp duty and registration fees (prior to the registration of each document). This has disrupted registrations considerably as the banks are refusing e-payment for land transactions to those who do not have an account with them.
Poor Hygiene,Facilities
Office lacks a decent toilet and chairs
Cramped space with very little pathway to move freely
No drinking water or bathroom for men and women at the office
Crowded by touts, the road leading to the office is too narrow for vehicles to enter and park on either side