Online registrations (PRDE) - Will it really help lower corruption in the registrar's office?

People who have visited a sub-registrar’s office before must be aware of the term 'office expense' which they had to pay apart from the officially collected stamp duty and registration fee. 

Office expense' is a term which has been coined for bribe, and it normally is flat 1% of the value of registration. And obviously, there is no scope for bargaining. So, if you want to register your property, you will have to pay a bribe or else walk away empty-handed. 

Online registrations (PRDE) Now that we’ve addressed the ‘elephant in the room’, wouldn’t it be great if you could book a property online through your computer system without even without visiting the registrar’s office?! Yes, with online registrations, there is a ray of hope. 

With the Sulabha Nondani (easy and anywhere registration) process, the stamps and registration department plans to roll out Pre Registration Data Entry (PRDE), which will put power into the hands of the public. So, with the rollout of PRDE, property registration can be simply done online! With PRDE, property owners can register their property online without actually going to the sub-registrar’s office. 

However, for the completion of registration, there will be short visit to the sub-registrar office, but the rest of the process can be done online by the property owner. 

The PRDE Process The PRDE process is a simple one. Firstly, the property owner will have to log on to the online platform to complete the paperwork and upload the documents. Once the clearance is received from the sub-registrar’s office, they will be able to proceed with the payments of stamp duty and registration fee online. 

After the payment, they will be able to book an appointment time slot with the sub-registrar to finalize the registration. During the appointment at the sub-registrar’s office, the property owner will have to furnish hard copies of the documents, payment receipts and the sale deed. 

Also, the customer will have to bring two witnesses who will have to sign on the documents. Will PRDE really help? The main purpose of implementation of PRDE is to put a stop to the commissions extracted from the property owners. Further, it will also help in the reduction of the time required for registration and the interaction time with the sub-registrar and staff. Although, the property owner may need to visit the sub registrar’s office for about 15 minutes, but the online registration will surely make the entire registration process simpler, hassle-free, and quicker. 

The entire process will be done without any middleman, thus putting an end to the ubiquitous ‘commission’ culture. With the rollout of PRDE, a sub-registrar will no longer be able to demand any extra money in the form of commission for registration. Nor will he be able reject the registration as the online process would already be completed. This online system will put more flexibility into the hands of the customers, as they will be able to pick their appointment slot as per their requirement and choice. 

There will be different time slots including morning time, second-half of the day, and also slots as per the auspicious time which people would want to choose to register their property.