The Delhi government has approved a policy titled ‘Anywhere Registration Policy’, with this the sale and purchase of properties in the National Capital can be registered at any sub-registrar’s office. The move will help the thousands who have to visit Sub-Registrar Offices, at different locations, and is also aimed at curbing corruption and harassment.
Under the policy, buyers can now take an online appointment at any of the 22 Sub-Registrar Offices, across the National Capital for their property registration. They do not have to physically visit any sub registrar office to register the sale/purchase deed of their properties. The policy will save people from long queues for property registration, thus promoting transparency to help curb corruption.
Traditionally, to buy or sell property in Delhi, people need to visit a designated Sub-Registrar Office. Whether it’s a property transaction or registering the property through other means, one has to go to the Sub-Registrar Office. However, this process often led to challenges, including long waiting lines and delays in booking appointments at certain offices, while others remained underutilised.
All Sub-Registrars in Delhi will now function as joint sub-registrars and their jurisdiction will cover the entirety of Delhi. The new registration software, National Generic Document Registration System, now allows people to upload the necessary documents required for the registration of sale deeds, power of attorney and wills from the comfort of their homes, make payment and take appointments at the sub-registrar office to complete the remaining formalities.
“So, anyone residing in Delhi can make an online appointment for property registration at any of the 22 Sub-Registrar Offices in Delhi,” said a sub registrar official. According to an estimate, nearly 2,000 documents of 28 different categories are registered at 22 Sub-Registrar offices on a given working day. Some offices get 50 applications and there are a few which receive up to 150 documents in a day. In 2022, 1.25 lakh documents were registered at the offices of the sub registrar.
While Janakpuri, Kashmere Gate, Model Town and Pitampura are among the most-crowded offices, Sarojini Nagar, Preet Vihar and Defence Colony witness the least number of applicants. The Delhi government recently appointed joint sub-registrars at six of its most crowded offices to ease the rush.
Explaining this, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi said that the ‘Anywhere Registration’ policy is being introduced to resolve these problems. “Under this policy, anyone seeking property registration can go to any sub-registrar office in Delhi. Residents will no longer be limited to just one designated office for property registration,” Atishi added.
The government has received a number of complaints and suggestions to improve the functioning of the sub registrar office which is one of the major departments to contribute to the state’s financial health.
One complaint was that in some sub-registrar offices, there were long queues and consequently, it takes a long time to book an appointment, whereas in some other offices, there were no excessive crowds. Another complaint was that corruption was prevalent in many sub-registrar offices.
There are middlemen outside the offices, who demand money from people wanting to register their property. People were often forced to pay these middlemen to get their registrations done in these offices. The move will also increase transparency, since if officials in a certain office demand bribes, people will have the choice to go to other offices.
The 22 Sub-Registrar Office in Delhi register over 20 different types of documents, including sale deeds, lease, conveyance deeds, power of attorneys, and all other documents that need to be compulsorily registered under law. Each year, the 22 sub-registrars together register around 3.5 lakh to 4 lakh documents.
