September 30th 2024.
In Jagatsinghpur, the system for booking slots for land registration at the subregistrar office has been causing some problems. According to a report, middlemen are taking advantage of the online booking system introduced by the Inspector General of Registration under the Board of Revenue, Odisha. These middlemen are booking slots in advance and then selling them to people who need them later, which goes against the purpose of the online booking system. The Inspector General of Registration (IGR) had introduced this system to improve their service and prevent overcrowding at the sub-registrar office. These slots are provided for free to those who are interested in registering or selling their land.
However, the reality is that people are being forced to pay between Rs 400 and Rs 500 to buy these slots. This is because they are unable to book the slots online themselves as the middlemen and agents have already booked them the night before. This has been an issue in the past as well, where those who could bribe the middlemen were able to get their registration done ahead of others. To combat this corruption and bring transparency, the state government introduced the online slot booking system at all sub-registrar offices in the district.
The IGR displays the slots available for a particular day and allows a maximum of 15 to 20 transactions at the Jagatsinghpur sub-registrar office. Although the slot booking is free, people are still being forced to pay due to the unavailability of slots. Locals have alleged that the slots are released between midnight and the early hours of the next day, and the middlemen take advantage of this by booking them in their names. This leaves no slots available for people who genuinely need them.
It has been observed that all the slots are usually booked within 5-10 minutes of their release on the IGR portal. This leaves no opportunity for those in need to secure a slot. It has also been reported that the middlemen book slots for the next eight to 10 days, leaving no options for those who need immediate registration or sale of their land. As a result, people are forced to seek the help of these middlemen, who often harass them and change their slots without their consent.
The modus operandi of these middlemen is quite simple. They first book the slot in their own name using their mobile number. Then, they collect money and the necessary documents from the buyer or seller of the land, and finally, they cancel the slot and register it under their client's name. When contacted, the district sub-registrar, Banamali Sethy, expressed his helplessness as the slot booking process falls under the jurisdiction of the IGR and not his.
In conclusion, the current system for slot booking at the sub-registrar office in Jagatsinghpur is causing inconvenience and exploitation for the people. The IGR needs to take necessary measures to prevent middlemen from taking advantage of the system and ensure that slots are available for those who genuinely need them. The ultimate goal should be to make the process of land registration and sale transparent and efficient for the people.
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