The Revenue and Forest Department of Maharashtra issued a Government Resolution (GR) on September 20, 2024, setting new standards for property document registration in sub-registrar offices across the state. This move aims to streamline operations in response to the growing number of property transactions, especially in urban and semi-urban areas.
Rising Property Transactions Across the State
Maharashtra’s real estate sector has experienced significant growth due to rapid urbanization and industrialization. This has resulted in a notable increase in transactions involving immovable properties across the state. As a result, the Registration and Stamps Department, under the administrative control of the Revenue and Forest Department, has seen a surge in document filings.
The department, which is one of the highest revenue-generating entities for the state, manages 520 sub-registrar offices responsible for property deed registration and other related services. Some offices are now handling more than 8,000 documents annually, leading to demands from citizens and public representatives for additional sub-registrar offices to cope with the rising workload.
New Standards for Document Registration
To address this issue, the government has decided to set standards for document registration, with the aim of ensuring that sub-registrar offices can provide efficient services. As of now, the government has implemented the following standards for document registration:
- Urban Areas: Sub-registrar offices in municipal jurisdictions and district headquarters are required to register 12,000 documents per year. This includes documents processed through both the iSarita system and eRegistration platforms, which handle physical and electronic filings such as Leave and License agreements, First Sale Agreements, and Notices of Intimation.
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- Rural Areas: For sub-registrar offices in rural areas, the target is 8,000 documents per year. While urban offices see higher volumes of electronic registrations, rural offices are gradually adopting these systems.
Streamlining Services for Citizens
The introduction of these standards aims to decentralize document registration services, ensuring that citizens across Maharashtra receive timely and efficient services. The government has observed that urban areas, in particular, are experiencing a higher volume of filings for Leave and License agreements and Notices of Intimation, both in electronic and physical formats.
The shift to eRegistration is expected to continue growing, especially for First Sale Agreements, as the government pushes for more digital services in the future.
By setting these benchmarks, the government hopes to alleviate the operational pressure on sub-registrar offices, especially in high-demand areas like Mumbai, Pune, and Thane. This will enable citizens to register their property transactions more conveniently, contributing to better record-keeping and revenue generation for the state.
