Bengal plans district Data Hubs for property registration records

Kolkata: The West Bengal government has initiated steps to set up district-level data hubs for the systematic storage and management of registration-related records, marking a major move to modernise how land and property documents are preserved across the state.

According to reliable sources, the proposed facilities, to be known as ‘Intelligent Record Archival Centres’, will function as dedicated hubs for preserving registration records that are currently stored across multiple offices. The initiative is being implemented by the Directorate of Registration and Stamp Revenue under the Finance Department.

An official said the objective is to bring scattered and ageing records under a single, organised system. “Many registration offices are handling documents that are several decades old. These records are valuable but vulnerable to damage due to space constraints and manual handling,” the official said.

Officials said the data hubs will be established in different districts and will support the functioning of registration offices that operate across the state. The Directorate of Registration and Stamp Revenue has field offices in all districts, and the new facilities are expected to serve as centralised archival points for records generated over the years, an official said.

The centres will be designed to handle large volumes of documents in a planned manner. Officials said the project will also help improve administrative efficiency. “When records are properly archived and indexed, it becomes easier for officials to locate documents required for official verification, audits and legal proceedings,” an official said.

The initiative is expected to ease the workload at registration offices, officials added, by reducing delays caused by manual searches and repeated movement of files between offices. Better record management is also expected to support faster processing of routine administrative work linked to registration services.

The work will be carried out in phases and has a defined implementation timeline of 24 months. The phased approach is intended to ensure continuity of existing services while the new facilities are set up.

Officials said the initiative forms part of the state government’s broader effort to modernise registration services and strengthen record-keeping practices, with a focus on safeguarding public records

for future use.