Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme

Are there some specific reasons behind Revenue Department exhibiting its diffidence and introversion , if not defiance, of the instructions in implementation of Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP) in Jammu and Kashmir ? It is surprising that even in this area of much importance , the State Government was found far from being prompt in implementation process of this innovative but much required records maintaining system so much so that the Union Government had to intervene to impress upon the State Revenue Department administration to buck up and expedite physical progress on various components.
After all, everyone is concerned about and desirous of as well, to find a system where correct and updated land records were available which could smoothen and take on obsolete and time consuming process to usher in a system of automatic mutation and inter connectivity between revenue and registration and the like which the DILRMP addresses in sum and substance. This Scheme of Department of Land Resources of the Union Ministry of Rural Development is properly envisaged with intent to usher in a refined and foolproof system of updated land records, about which a need for quite long time had been felt. Making it fully digital, in turn could also pre-empt chances of manipulations , irregularities and corruption. That is why its early implementation has been emphasised. We hardly need to stress upon the fact that the State Revenue Department has its own “set record” of several land scams and land related irregularities taking cover under the ambiguities in land records. The fact of the matter is that whatever record in whichever manner was ordinarily given to an applicant on demand by the State Revenue Department’s “field personnel” had more or less a tag of the status of ‘a gospel truth’ . That needs to be bidden an adieu and DILRMP is the antidote.
This scheme has three major components – computerization of land records, survey and resurvey and lastly, computerisation on registration. It is a natural corollary that given with such reformative shape and scope, the Union Rural Development Ministry and its Department of Land Resources, while recently appraising the progress of implementation of the new system, should raise questions about observing utter slackness by Jammu and Kashmir State with directions for speedy work on it with a view to ensure its early application. The very first stage, that of computerization of land records is reported to be stuck up, we are afraid, to the extent of aborting and defeating it for reasons extraneous to the purpose of the ambitious scheme which is peoples friendly. The Union Ministry has observed in this aspect that the State of Jammu and Kashmir had made no significant progress till the date of recently concluded review exercise. The Ministry has, therefore, sought intervention at the highest level without which “the chances of achieving the objective” were remote.
How could under the circumstances, any progress be noticed having been made in digitization of cadastral maps exhibiting the boundaries, market value , ownership or title of the land and integration of such maps with Records of Right and the Union Ministry in this respect has desired expeditious work on it through the agency engaged for the task . Similarly , about connectivity between Sub- Registration Offices and Integration of Land Records and Property Registration , the Ministry has made adverse comments due to this aspect having received no attention at all . Why should the Registration continue to be handled by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court instead of by the Revenue Department, must be answered by the Revenue authorities .
However, we do not see any reason as to why the switch over to new computerised and updated record system should receive such lukewarm response from the State Revenue Department especially keeping in mind its utility and benefits to the people . It is, again, not that no work has been done in this direction but the speed and the tempo are indicative of keeping it lingering on which could be addressed only by fixing weekly , fortnightly and monthly targets and on district level basis so as to complete the entire work by the end of the first half of the current year. The designated vendor must get full support and cooperation from the Revenue Department.

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