Karnataka govt mulls mandating online land records delivery

Bengaluru: The state government is planning to make it compulsory for citizens to apply for and obtain their land records online and a pilot project for this was launched on Tuesday. 

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched the service at a revenue department event where appointment orders were issued to 1,000 newly-recruited Village Administrative Officers (VAO). event where appointment orders were issued to 1,000 newly-recruited Village Administrative Officers (VAO). 

Citizens can visit www.recordroom.karnataka.gov.in/service4 to apply for a host of land documents under the government’s Bhu Suraksha programme.

“We are digitising old records in our taluk offices, sub-registrar offices and survey offices. These include original approval documents, mutation records, handwritten pahanis and so on,” Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said. 

“Under Bhu Suraksha, 19.49 crore pages have been scanned. We want to finish all scanning work this year at any cost. By the end of this year, nearly 100 crore pages will be scanned, a feat no other state would have achieved. This will give citizens access to their records on their fingertips,” Gowda said.  

Over time, many land records have been lost, adversely impacting citizens, the minister said. “Also, records have been manipulated or forged. People are having to run from pillar to post to obtain records,” Gowda said, adding that digitising records would be a permanent solution to such challenges.  

“Documents are being scanned, indexed and catalogued so that citizens can apply online for certified copies,” Gowda said. “If a particular document is already scanned, certified copies will be issued immediately. Otherwise, it will be scanned, verified and certified. We are doing a trial for 15-20 days. After that, we plan to make online delivery of land records compulsory,” he said. 

Gowda also signalled the end of the British-era tapal system of file movement. On Tuesday, the government gave Chromebook laptops to 4,000 VAOs. Another 4,000 laptops will be provided this year. 

“We are still following a 200-year-old tapal system. VAOs have to carry files to the taluk office and bring them back. Much of their time gets spent on this,” Gowda said. 

Gowda later told DH that all file movement has been brought under the e-Office system right from his level down to the tahsildar. “Our goal is that file movement from the level of the VAO to minister should be on e-Office,” he said. 

Bribe-free appointment

Siddaramaiah said the appointment of 1,000 VAOs was done without any bribe or middlemen. He recalled that one lakh teachers were recruited without corruption between 1994 and 1998 when he was the finance minister. 

Gowda said the appointment of 1,000 VAOs was a record in itself. “There were 6.33 lakh applications, which is the highest,” he added.

Now, there are 9,003 VAOs against a sanctioned strength of 9,834. More VAOs will be appointed, the CM said.