The Tamil Nadu government is set to implement a series of measures to reduce corruption and enhance transparency in the registration department, which has been plagued by persistent complaints of graft. Commercial Taxes and Registration Minister D Logesh Tamilselvan revealed this in an interview with the Times of India.
Chief Minister's vision for clean governance
The minister stated that Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has prioritised clean governance and identified several departments where corruption is rampant, with registration being a key focus. "The CM is very clear on eradicating bribery and has been following up regularly," Tamilselvan said.
Online system for property transactions
As a first step, the department will introduce an online system for the first sale of flats, plots, mortgages, and receipts, which together account for nearly 30% of the department's revenue. This system will be rolled out within a month to reduce direct interaction between the public and officials, thereby decreasing crowds at sub-registrar offices. "Reputed builders and developers associations will install UIDAI-approved biometric devices and a webcam," the minister explained.
Expanding online services
Second and subsequent sales, as well as registration of power of attorney documents, will also be made available online soon. Additionally, a dedicated helpline will be created for reporting corruption. Tamilselvan encouraged the public to reach out to him on social media platform X as well.
He cited an example where a citizen tagged him about sub-registrar offices mandating parents' presence for marriage registration. Upon inquiry, he found it was due to confusion between two orders from 2017 and 2018. "I clarified and sorted out the issue," he added.
