Soon, you can book your slot online to register properties

The system of waiting in queue will be a thing of the past

Online slot booking for registration of immovable properties and access to Encumbrance Certificates (ECs) will soon be a reality in Karnataka.

The Stamps and Registration department is creating a software called Sulabha Nondani (easy registration). Citizens can book their slots for property registration in advance using the software. The existing system of waiting in the queue for the registration will be done away with once the software is introduced.

Inspector General of Registration and Commissioner of Stamps Manoj Kumar Meena said the new system will be rolled out in two months. Infrastructure Development Corporation of Karnataka (iDECK) has developed the software and, currently it is being tested. Registration of properties will become a lot easier for people once the software is introduced, he added.

The state government had first announced the introduction of Sulabha Nondani in 2015. The new system is being introduced as a part of ease of doing business in the state.

The state has slipped in the ease of doing business ranking from 9th position in 2015 to 13th in 2016.

Meena said there is no provision for introducing online registration of properties under the Indian Stamp Act, which is a Central Act. The state government had in the past urged the Centre to amend the Act to enable it to introduce online registration system, but there was no response. The Act has made it mandatory for both the seller and the buyer of a property to be present at the time of registration, he added.

Stamp duty payment
However, a provision will be made for online payment of stamp duty and registration fee in Sulabha Nondani software. Besides, people will be able to obtain ECs online using the software.

Payment of fee for ECs can also be done online. Currently, one has to go to the particular sub-registrar’s office and apply for an EC by paying the fee in cash, Meena said.
People will also be able to obtain certified copies of registered documents online. Standard documents of agreement of sale and rent agreement will also be made available. People can download and use them for all their transactions, he added.

The department has, however, decided not to extend the anywhere registration system across the state following complaints of its misuse. The system was introduced on a pilot basis in Gandhinagar sub-division in Bengaluru in 2011. People were free to register their properties in any of the nine sub-registrar offices in the sub-division under the system.