NOIDA: Manish Dixit has been visiting the sub-registrar’s office in Greater Noida for nearly three weeks, trying to complete the registration process for his newly purchased flat. Each visit has been met with disappointment.
Dixit bought the apartment for Rs 80 lakh, financing Rs 65 lakh through a housing loan from HDFC Bank. While the payment formalities are complete, the final registration is on hold due to an ongoing strike by lawyers and deed writers protesting the Uttar Pradesh government’s move toward e-registration of property documents.
The protests began on June 10, when deed writers halted their work in Greater Noida, Dadri, and Jewar. They argue that digitizing the registration process could endanger their jobs.
In response to the concerns, the state’s inspector general of registration clarified that e-registration would not apply to all documents but would be limited to first-transfer deeds executed by government and semi-government agencies as specified under the Uttar Pradesh Online Registration Rules, 2024.
Despite this clarification, the impasse continues, leaving homebuyers struggling to finalize their registrations. “I work in a private company and have to keep taking leave to visit the registry office. How much longer will this go on?” Dixit lamented. “We manage to bring the sellers to the office, but we leave empty-handed.”
Hundreds of homebuyers across Greater Noida and neighboring areas face similar challenges, having completed their financial dealings but unable to secure legal ownership of their properties. These delays are disrupting many families’ carefully laid plans.
Mamta Katiyar aimed to finalize her house registration before her son’s departure for higher studies. However, she has spent the past 10 days returning to registry offices without success. “I took a loan from Union Bank of India, thinking we could finally move into our own house, but now the registry issues are holding us back,” she shared, expressing frustration from years of living in rented accommodation. “Owning a home felt like a dream, but now the strike has thrown a wrench in my plans.”
Rahul Aggarwal, a beverage distributor in Greater Noida, and his uncle purchased two homes nearly two months ago, one priced at Rs 80 lakh and another at Rs 1.8 crore. Although payments and documentation are complete, the registrations remain unsettled. “Our EMI payments start in July,” Aggarwal said, worried about having to pay installments for properties that are not legally registered in their names. “As the standoff between the lawyers and government drags on, we bear the financial and emotional burdens of a conflict not of our making.”
The strike has also resulted in lengthy queues and confusion at registry offices, as many continue to hope for a return to normal operations with no clear resolution timeline in sight.
Mahesh Bhati, a former secretary of the Sadar Bar Association, defended the protests, arguing that the digitization initiative threatens the livelihoods of deed writers and lawyers. “We make about Rs 25,000 to 30,000 a month. Now, they want to digitize everything—what happens to us? How will our families survive? The government isn’t listening,” he stated.
Bhati contended that the move lacks adequate checks and balances, empowering authorities in a way that threatens the livelihoods of many. “They are just handing everything over to the authorities, leaving us to struggle,” he lamented.
