Curation Team
PUNE: The “one state one registration” scheme — aimed at allowing citizens to register property documents at any sub-registrar offices across the state — is likely to face delay owing to legal, technical, and administrative hurdles, a senior official said.
Inspector general of registration Ravindra Binwade told TOI that while the scheme is conceptually sound, multiple issues are still being evaluated. “The one state one registration scheme may take longer to implement. From determining jurisdiction in cases of fraud to document verification, several technical and legal aspects are under review,” he said.
The initiative, part of the state govt’s 100-day priority programme, is designed to eliminate jurisdictional restrictions and make document registration more citizen-friendly. However, concerns over impersonation, fraudulent land transfers in the names of deceased persons, and widespread stamp duty evasion have emerged as major roadblocks.
Revenue minister Chandrakant Bawankule had earlier indicated that the scheme would be launched during the ongoing assembly session.
However, senior mantralaya officials on Monday confirmed that the existing “one district one registration” scheme would remain in place for now.
“There are practical and logistical challenges. We will address concerns raised by stakeholders before moving forward. The state-wide rollout has been temporarily withheld,” a senior revenue official said.
The “one district one registration scheme”, launched on May 1, allows registration at any sub-registrar office within a district. Hundreds of documents have been processed under the scheme successfully, demonstrating operational feasibility. However, officials said that extending this across the entire state raises complex issues of monitoring, fraud prevention, and infrastructure readiness.
Revenue officials said impersonation and fraudulent transactions were rampant. In some cases, sale deeds were registered in the names of deceased persons, or without the consent of co-owners in joint properties.
Activists warned that farmers, especially near upcoming mega projects, were being duped into selling land through forged documents or misuse of power of attorney.
RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar said, “There is no system to cancel fraudulent registrations, forcing genuine owners—especially senior citizens and farmers — into prolonged legal battles. The scheme must not be rolled out without safeguards. A dedicated cancellation authority and a searchable online database by name, PAN or Aadhaar are essential.”
The state exchequer is also losing revenue due to underpayment of stamp duty and lack of MahaRERA compliance in many property transactions. Officials added that illiterate or poorly educated sellers were often exploited in deals lacking transparency.
To address these concerns, the revenue department has issued strict guidelines and warned sub-registrars against permitting impersonation or registration of tribal land without govt clearance. Violations could lead to action under Sections 82 and 83 of the Registration Act.
District joint registrars (Class I) and collectors of stamps have now been instructed to inspect registration offices every fortnight and submit detailed reports to ensure compliance.
