Delay in getting ‘land fard’ perturbs Pindiites

Rawalpindi
A large number of residents of Potohar region particularly residents of Rawalpindi city, cantonment and rural areas are strongly protesting against non-availability of ‘land fard’ even after computerisation system.
On the other hand, property record of people in Rawalpindi city, cantonment and rural areas is at stake due to mismanagement of officials of revenue department.
Punjab government introduced computerised system of land revenue record where public could get ‘land fard’ easily without paying bribe. However, the revenue department has so far failed to complete the computerisation of revenue record even after five years. As a result, people not only have to run after ‘patwaris’ but computerisation staff as well to get their property record ('fard') but in vain.
But they are neither getting ‘land fard’ from ‘patwaris’ nor from district revenue computerised department as they strongly protesting everyday against non-availability of ‘land fard’.
The reliable sources from district revenue department on condition of anonymity told ‘The News’ that some of ‘patwaris’ has yet refused to provide land record for computerization. The concerned authority again and again reminded them to provide detailed record but vain resulted common public suffering, the sources said.
However, even after the expiry of several deadlines, more than 10% work is still left in seven tehsils of the district. Public is suffering due to delay in computerisation of revenue record. ‘Patwaris’, who are not happy over computerisation system, push public to computerisation staff for getting their land record. However, when people visit computerisation staff, they return them to 'patwaris' citing errors in record.
When ‘The News’ contacted Assistant Commissioner (Revenue) Tasneem Ali Khan, he said that they were trying to make this system smooth. “Public could get land revenue record easily from district revenue department,” he claimed. He also admitted that some ‘patwaris’ are creating problems for them and not providing detail record but they would handle this situation soon.
According to data collected by ‘The News’, out of a total of 1,229 villages in seven tehsils of the district, including Rawalpindi, Murree, Kotli Sattian, Kallar Syedan, Kahuta, Gujar Khan and Taxila, the land record of 1,100 villages has been completed and 129 are still left.
Out of 352 villages in Rawalpindi, the land record of 332 has been completed. In Gujar Khan, out of 384 villages, record of 322 villages has been completed. Similarly, in Kotli Sattian, out of total of 58 villages, land record of 50 villages has been completed. In Kahuta, out 160 villages, land record of 143 villages has been computerised.
An official of the revenue department, on condition of anonymity, said that the delay was due to the resistance shown by the ‘patwaris’ (revenue officers), lack of relevant staff and non-existence of record from early 1950s, among several other reasons.
Talking to ‘The News,’ hundreds of clients at District Courts, Rawalpindi Tehsil and computerisation office near Mandra said that they are facing problems in getting their own land ‘fard’ or copy of ‘intiqal’. Punjab government introduced computerised system only to curb corruption but it seems corruption increasing day-by-day, they denounced.