Slot bookings for registration of non-agricultural properties in Telangana halted again

The slot bookings were stopped again on Friday after the High Court asked the State not to seek Aadhaar and caste details from citizens.
The Sub-Registrar Office at Gandhinagar wears a deserted look after slot bookings for registrations were halted again. (Photo| Vinay Madapu, EPS)
The Sub-Registrar Office at Gandhinagar wears a deserted look after slot bookings for registrations were halted again. (Photo| Vinay Madapu, EPS)

HYDERABAD: There seems to be no end to the woes of citizens who want to get their non-agricultural properties registered in the State, as slot bookings for registrations have come to a grinding halt yet again on Friday, following a High Court directive to this effect.

Lakhs of people were left in the lurch when the State government put registrations on hold for more than three months over the Dharani portal launch recently. Citizens heaved a sigh of relief last week when the slot bookings resumed. It was, however, short-lived. The slot bookings were stopped again on Friday after the High Court asked the State not to seek Aadhaar and caste details from citizens.

That one week of registrations was not fruitful either. Deserted Sub-Registrar Offices in Hyderabad and other parts of the State since the resumption of registrations stood in eloquent testimony to how cumbersome and often unsuccessful the process of booking was.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, realtors from across the State said that the registration of open plots has not even begun, and that the handful of registrations that were undertaken in the last one week were only of developed properties.

"One of the culprits is the Telangana government's Land Regularisation Scheme (LRS). The LRS is now on hold in the State. A majority of properties in Telangana, whether open plots or developed properties, must be regularised. Without the LRS, the slot for registration cannot be booked. Lakhs of people across the State look to land as a monetary resource, but the government is making them suffer," points out Praveen Naragoni, president of the Telangana State Realtors Association.

"I have been waiting for months to get my land registered so that I can sell it and use the money for my daughter’s wedding. But I have been asked to get the plot regularised under the LRS, which is on hold. Some people, who are in dire financial straits, are even selling the land for much lower price than market value to anyone who is ready to pay them money before registration," said M Ramesh from Hyderabad.

Property Tax Identification Number woes

In many gram panchayats and municipalities, the Property Tax Identification Number or PTIN has not been generated for developed properties. This data is a prerequisite for booking slots for registrations.

A visit to a couple of Sub-Registrar Offices on Friday showed that the lack of PTIN is a major concern in the adjoining municipalities of Hyderabad, as a few citizens were seen helplessly enquiring about how their properties could be registered without PTIN.

What a mess!

Registration of non-agricultural properties remain cumbersome and often unsuccessful for TS citizens 
Lands must be regularised before  booking slots, but LRS is on hold. This is causing trouble for many 
In many gram panchayats and municipalities, PTIN, which is a prerequisite for slot booking, has not been generated for developed properties 

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