PUNE: The state’s property registration department is considering implementing online leave-and-licence (tenant) agreements that can be processed at any sub-registrar office within a district, rather than limiting it to specific taluka offices. This initiative aims to reduce backlog and expedite approvals.
According to officials, this system has been successfully implemented in districts like Mumbai and Thane. However, its introduction in Pune has faced delays due to the use of two disparate software systems in urban and rural offices.
A registration department official stated, “There are requests to initiate this process in Pune once the software issues are resolved. The implementation is already underway in districts such as Mumbai and Thane.”
This proposal follows reports last week of delays in processing tenant registration documents at Pune’s sub-registrar offices. Joint district registrar Santosh Hingane has directed offices to speed up these clearances. “Over 3,000 documents were awaiting processing, and sub-registrar staff worked on Saturday to address the backlog. We have also requested the main office to implement a similar initiative for Pune, enabling any office to approve documents,” Hingane told TOI.
Officials indicated that this change is designed to tackle the delays, with some applications taking more than a week to process, despite a stipulated 24-hour timeline.
Citizen groups have highlighted these delays, emphasizing that registered leave-and-licence agreements are essential for various formal purposes, including proving residence and police verification.
Currently, while agreements can be submitted online, clearance is restricted to the designated sub-registrar’s office for that area, resulting in uneven workloads where some offices are inundated while others receive minimal applications, which creates backlogs.
If implemented, this move will be part of the department’s “one district, one registration” strategy, allowing citizens to process property documents at any sub-registrar office within the district.
A senior official from the state registration department pointed out, “Some offices had very few registrations, while others were overwhelmed with applications, leading to delays. Technical issues at certain offices added to the problem, but these have now been resolved.”
Citizens who previously experienced delays believe this initiative could streamline the process. Mohit M, who registered his tenant agreement last year, commented, “It took over 15 days then. If the issues are resolved, it should shorten the time and eliminate backlogs.”
