Amritsar: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday launched an 'easy jamabandi portal', and said it is yet another historic step to root out corruption from revenue services that lakhs of people are dependent on every year.
The portal will enable people to avail services like 'WhatsApp te Jamabandi' (getting Jamabandi via WhatsApp), Online 'Intkal' (mutation) seva, 'Rapat' entry and 'fard badar' (correction of land records).
Elaborating, they said that getting 'Jamabandi' through WhatsApp will facilitate the people in a big way as 40 lakh people annually either had to visit their 'Patwari' or 'Fard' centres to obtain Jamabandi (land record copies).
However, both the leaders said that now, there is no need to visit a 'Patwari' (revenue officer), stand in queues, or pay bribes for land records as people have to simply go to the 'easy Jamabandi' website, enter their details and they will get a copy of 'Jamabandi' for free.
This will be digitally signed and will have a QR code, they said, adding that anyone can scan the code to verify the land record.
They said the state government has digitized land records for 99 per cent of villages in Punjab. All those land records can be availed through this service, they said, adding that the remaining villages too will be digitized in the next two months.
About Online mutation service, both the leaders said every year, eight lakh mutations are processed.
Previously, getting the ownership updated after buying land or inheriting property involved months of running around and hurdles adding that now, 'Patwaris' (revenue officials) cannot create obstacles, and there is no need to pay bribes.
They said if anyone is registering their deed, the mutation will happen automatically within 30 days and in case of inheritance, they can submit request for mutation online on 'easy jamabandi website' and the same shall be done within a strict 30-day time limit after which they will get Whatsapp update at every stage of the process.
Giving details about 'Fard Badar' (correction of land records), Mann and Kejriwal said every year, about 60,000 record correction requests are made. They said to correct errors in land records (say name spelling), people will no longer need to make rounds of government offices.
The leaders said that now, a simple form with the required documents can be submitted online and the application will be processed within 15 days, adding that a nominal application fee for these services will also be paid online.
About 'Jamabandi layi Subscribe karo' (subscribe to your land records) service, they said in a historic move to protect land ownership, especially for NRIs, the state government has introduced it.
Previously, they said that many land records were altered without the owner's knowledge, and often they would find out years later, after which they had to endure long-delayed legal struggle in courts to get them corrected.