Digitisation of land records move at a snail's pace in Jammu, Srinagar

Authorities in Jammu and Srinagar have failed to meet the deadline set to complete the first phase of a project to digitise the land records in the two districts, and they now aim to complete the project by March next year.

The first phase of the project, which officially began in April 2016 - was scheduled to complete by February this year.

A revenue department official said the project moved slowly in Kashmir because work was put on hold in the Valley for six months in 2016 because of unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8 that year.

More than 80 people were killed and many others injured in the unrest.

The official said the delay in meeting the deadline was also because the first phase did not start on the scheduled date of October 5, 2015, "due administrative and procedural formalities".

"The first phase of the project required more time and is likely to be completed by March 2019, while the computerisation of land records of the entire state is targeted to be completed by March 31, 2022," the official said.

Jammu and Kashmir Land Records Management Agency - the nodal agency of the revenue department - had approved the implementation plan for digitising land records under the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme in 2015-2016.

In the first phase, Jammu and Srinagar districts were taken up. In the second phase, 10 more districts - five in Jammu region, three in Kashmir and two in Ladakh - will be taken up.

The second phase was scheduled for March 2018-March 2020. It will be taken up after the first phase is completed.

The remaining 10 districts four in Jammu region and six in Kashmir would be taken up in the third phase from April 2020 to March 2022, the targeted date for the completion of the project.

About the progress of project work from April 2016 to December 2017, the revenue department official said against the target of 666.49 lakh revenue document scanning, 164.61 lakh (58.77 in Kashmir and 105.84 in Jammu) have been completed.