IGR Maharashtra is all set for a transformation by adopting the blockchain technology. With the blockchain technology of storing records, district collectorates will can have faster documentation process and also save costs. IGR Maharashtra is responsible for managing records of land, ownership/property lease, registration of sale and purchase, among others.
IGR Maharashtra every year faces several complaints about errors in property registrations, like mistakes in the spellings of names and property description. Even if 20 per cent of the total property deal registrations in a year are to be corrected, it requires a lot of time of the staff,” a senior IGR official said. The blockchain technology is expected to save this time so that the department can focus on its core work of registration and collection of stamp duty, he said.
“The blockchain technology is going to save a lot of time of a district collector, who has to spend significant time in conducting hearings related to errors in documents. There will be no typical or conventional role left for a collector once we completely shift to the blockchain technology-based documentation,” said an IGR Maharashtra official.
An additional collector-rank official said the use of computers has increased the speed of documentation and land title records are now available online, but if some changes are made (unlawfully), it’s is very difficult to find it and take action. “The blockchain technology will keep the record of every document accessed by an official and changes made into it. Thus, it will check malpractices and also help to find out when changes were made and why,” he said.
Currently, there are more than one crore land title documents in Maharashtra. Such documents are frequently used by farmers to get crop loan and for other purposes. Use of blockchain technology will also reduce the concerns of citizens, especially those not very educated and financially weak, about the safety of their land records and minimise tampering of documents, he said.
IGR Maharashtra, which registers sale, purchase or lease of properties, has already started e-registration of newly constructed properties in the state based entirely on blockchain technology and more than 450 developers have opted for this system so far, an IGR official said. IGR Maharashtra is one of the biggest source of revenue for the state with an annual contribution of more than Rs 45,000 crore, he added. According to IGR Commissioner Shravan Hardikar, 28 lakh to 30 lakh property deals are registered in Maharashtra every year. Out of these, about four lakh comprise newly constructed properties and are registered with IGR Maharashtra.
Like IGR Maharashtra, other sections of the revenue department will also shift to blockchain technology in the coming days, which will transform the functioning of the administration forever, a senior official from the revenue department said.
