officers. The project moved ahead very slowly every year.
Designed by the Project Management Unit, the project was recommended to the World Bank Board for funding in 2006 and subsequently the Project Financing Agreement was signed on February 28, 2007.
During the previous era of incumbent PML-N’s provincial government, nothing tangible work could be done on the project and the project was delayed further mainly because of delay in the software development and selection process which was expected to be completed by the end of 2008.
Similarly, implementation of the project in four districts of the province, to be initiated in 2009, got delayed. After the software development, the work on computerising the land record got underway in the Punjab to facilitate more than 20 million land owners of the province.
To expand the Land Record Management Information Systems project in the entire Punjab by CM Shahbaz Sharif was the other reason for the delay in the completion of the project as initially the project was to be implemented in only half of the districts of the province.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif presided over a high level meeting on Wednesday which reviewed in detail the progress of the Land Record Management Information System.
According to a handout issued on Wednesday, addressing the meeting, the chief minister said that the land record computerisation service centres had been made operational in all the 143 tehsils of the province. He said through the computerisation of land record issuance of proprietary deed had been ensured within 30 minutes which would provide substantial relief to citizens as well as rid them of obsolete Patwar Culture.
He said the computerisation of land record had been completed in 20 districts and online system at 92 service centres had been linked with a consolidated system. He further said the process of Google mapping with regard to land had been completed in three districts.
The CM directed that the programme of Google mapping of the land be extended to the whole province and an effective awareness campaign be initiated regarding the importance of the project.
He appreciated institutions and authorities concerned over a speedy progress on the project and said it was a public welfare project which would directly benefit the masses. The chief minister issued instructions for setting up a steering committee to be headed by Member Punjab Assembly Rana Sana Ullah and directed that the committee should submit recommendations within seven days after reviewing matters pertaining to the launching of the project of computerisation of urban land record, restriction on consolidation, setting up of an authority with regard to permanent monitoring of the Land Record Management Information System and other matters.
The chairman planning and development gave a detailed briefing on the pace of the project. Provincial Minister for Law Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, Assembly Members Najaf Abbas Sial, Rana Sana Ullah, Dr. Ayesha Ghous Pasha, Mian Tariq Mehmood, Qamar-ul-Islam, chief secretary, senior member, board of revenue, chairman planning and development and officers concerned were also present.