: Land record gaps, disputes and outdated surveys create challenges for real estate transactions
The government had made the Green Property Certificate mandatory from July 1 for property sales, transfers and other land transactions. PHOTO: PEXELS
LAHORE:
Just days after making Green Property Certificate mandatory for real estate transactions, the Punjab government has relaxed the policy by once again allowing issuance of computerized land registration extracts in computerized revenue properties. This development has raised questions about the practical implementation of the new system, the cadastre’s preparedness and the pace of digitalisation.
The government had made the Green Property Certificate mandatory from July 1 for property sales, transfers and other land transactions. According to officials, the system aimed to verify ownership, possession, boundaries and legal status using modern technology to prevent fraudulent transfers, double sales and property fraud.
However, during implementation, citizens, lawyers and real estate agents encountered numerous difficulties. According to sources, applicants in many areas were unable to get the certificate because the land records had not yet been fully digitized. As a result, the Punjab Land Records Authority (PLRA) resumed the issuance of land registration extracts in computerized revenue estates, while no clear policy has yet been announced for non-computerized areas.
According to Lahore-based realtor Mian Ishtiaq Ahmad, digital land records are incomplete in many old and suburban revenue properties in Lahore – as well as in Sheikhupura, Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Okara, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Rajanhazi Khana, Bakkah, South, Makkah, Khana, Bakkah, South and South. Punjab – has forced citizens to make repeated visits to Land Record Centers and Revenue Offices.
Revenue officials say most of the objections relate to land boundary demarcation, verification of possession, joint ownership, inheritance disputes and cases pending in courts. In many places, discrepancies between old land records and the current situation on the ground require new surveys or corrections to the records, delaying the issuance of green property certificates.
Lahore High Court lawyer Rana Sajid Yousaf said the new system brings greater complications in cases involving joint ownership, inherited properties, mortgaged land and disputed ownership because an error in the records of even one co-owner can affect the entire transaction.
Meanwhile, Ali Raza Butt, deputy director of the Punjab Land Records Authority (PLRA), stated that approximately 96 percent of Punjab’s land records have been digitized, while the remaining four percent is yet to be completed due to historical and administrative complexities. He said most non-digitized revenue properties are located in areas with ownership disputes or long-standing record deficiencies and their digitization is underway.
He added that the purpose of the Green Property Certificate is to provide citizens with verified properties whose ownership, boundaries, possession and legal status have been thoroughly checked. According to him, where there are discrepancies in the records, the certificate will be issued only after the necessary corrections are made.
On the other hand, Shahid Ansar Goraya, president of Patwari Association Punjab, said that Punjab has not conducted a comprehensive survey of land settlements in the last 125 years. “Data entry errors made during the land records digitization process that began in 2007 have exacerbated the current problems. In some districts, indivisible land records, multiple properties registered under a single survey number, and outdated boundary demarcations remain major obstacles. A lasting solution requires a province-wide update of land records, corrections of urban records, and land records,” noted Goraya.
Experts believe that the green property certificate could become an important step towards transparent land management. But its success depends on having complete and accurate digital land records, effective field verification, modern boundary surveys and consistent, phased implementation across the province.
