Unified system to resolve land record issues

LAHORE :In order to address challenges associated with the systems lacking digitisation of urban land record, the Planning and Development Board Punjab is coming up with a project for Digitisation of Urban Land Record Management.

According to Planning and Development Board Chairman, Habibi-ur-Rehman Gillani, currently the systems involved for digitisation of land records does not include urban land. Recording of urban properties is being undertaken through registration of deeds which lacks spatial information and deed for registration of property is explicitly allowed without requiring any proof of ownership. In the absence of a standard system of recording land rights in urban, different agencies (both private and public sector) have devised their own individual system of recording these in areas of their respective jurisdiction and according to their operational requirements. Resultantly, the system has failed in terms of quality of services provided to the people where lands have transformed into a metropolis. A new system, therefore, is under consideration which addresses all operational and administrative needs of the government. The government has decided to move in the direction of a unified, formal system wherein the individual rights will be made secure and certified copies would be issued in favour of an individual and a clear distinction between rural and urban properties will be ensured.

Approval for digitisation of Urban Land Record through technical and financial assistance of World Bank has already been accorded by prime minister, Punjab chief minister and standing committee of cabinet on finance and development for Punjab.

online payment facility: The Punjab government has started providing facility of online payment of fees as part of initiatives for ease of doing business in the province. This was stated by chief secretary during a meeting of provincial working group for ease of doing business, here at Civil Secretariat Friday.

The meeting reviewed progress on implementation of reforms initiated in different departments. Planning and development department secretary briefed the meeting that under ease of doing business steps various reforms had been successfully implemented and facility of online payments had been launched in the province. Under the online payment system, token tax, property tax, professional tax, motor vehicle registration and transfer fee, cotton fee by Excise and Taxation Department, E-stamping, mutation and fard fee by Board of Revenue, sales tax on services, Punjab ID Cess by Punjab Revenue Authority and Business Registration fees by Industries Department could be paid.

Speaking at the meeting, the chief secretary said the government was providing a conducive environment to investors by taking measures for ease of doing business and reforms introduced in various departments were yielding positive results. He directed the relevant provincial departments to complete reforms for ease of doing business within deadline, saying that owing to the concrete measure taken by government the position of Pakistan would improve in the ease of doing business ranking.

The chief secretary expressed his displeasure over delay in simplifying the procedure of issuance of NOC by Environment Department and sought progress report within 15 days. The secretary planning and development department told the meeting that a visiting World Bank team lauded the ease of doing business initiatives of the Punjab government, terming them ‘well-organised and exemplary’.