Haryana halts registration of land transfer deeds to weed out 'malpractices'

Haryana halts registration of land transfer deeds to weed out ‘malpractices’

CHANDIGARH: Haryana has temporarily stopped the registration of land transfer deeds in the state to weed out various malpractices in the government’s key revenue generation process. The registration of transfer deeds of various categories of land has been stopped for varying periods between July 22 and August 15, an official release said on Wednesday.

The decision will impact the sale and purchase of land in the state for the time being.

The directions to stop registering land transfer deeds were issued by the government to all deputy commissioners and other relevant officials including tehsildars-cum-sub-registrars on July 21.

Financial Commissioner (Revenue) Vijai Vardhan said in his directions that the “stoppage of registration of transfer deeds under the Registration Act, 1908” is an interim measure.

A state government release here on Wednesday quoted Vardhan as saying that “the state government has given serious consideration to the complaints of malpractices that exist in the current mechanism for registration of deeds for the transfer of land. Therefore, it has been decided to temporarily halt the registration of transfer deeds under the said Act”.

“To build a technology and data-based mechanism to curb and curtail possible malpractices and to ensure system-readiness for the purpose, the government has decided as an interim measure for a short duration, to temporarily halt the registration of deeds relating to the transfer of land, with effect from July 22, while gearing up the technology and process-based system to be put in place for curbing malpractices,” the release quoted him as saying.

No registration of transfer of deeds of the land shall be done by the Sub-Registrar/Joint Sub-Registrar from July 22 to August 5 for land within municipal limits, urban areas, as declared and notified under the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act, 1975 and Controlled Areas Restriction of Unregulated Development Act, 1963, the official statement said.

“No registration of transfer of deeds of the land shall be done by the Sub-Registrar/ Joint Sub-Registrar from July 22 to August 15 in respect of land situated in urban areas, as declared or notified under Section 7-A of the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act, 1975 and as amended from time to time,” the statement said.

The government has also forthwith cancelled all e-appointments for the deed registration and fresh dates for the same will be given later.

“Wherever generation of successful e-stamp challans has been done, an extension of 30 days will be given for those challans, whose validity of 180 days expires between July 22 and August 17.

“For those possessing registered sale agreements between buyer and seller for transfer of land, executed before July 22, and as per terms and conditions of the said agreement, such deeds may be allowed to be registered by the Sub-Registrar/Joint Sub-Registrar of the concerned districts in writing in each case,” the statement said.