Pune: The state Inspector-General of Registration has recently introduced an innovative SMS facility aimed at providing timely updates on property documents. In the past two months, this service has handled an impressive 1,700 inquiries from residents seeking information on their property documents.
Gone are the days when citizens had to crowd into the SRO (sub-registrar’s office) for document verification. Now, residents can conveniently stay informed by simply sending a text message to the relevant office. As it stands, details regarding registered documents from July 2012 onward can be easily accessed through this new system. Plans are underway to enhance the service by uploading information on registered documents dating from 2002 to 2012 within the next month.
Officials noted, “Per month, 800 messages were received. These were for the documents which were genuine but the system had not accepted the half-filled required details.” Efforts are being made to connect with more citizens by increasing awareness about this facility at SRO locations. A user manual explaining the operation of the SMS system has also been uploaded on the website of the Inspector General of Registration.
Additionally, sources within the real estate sector have reported incidents of fake registrations, underscoring the importance of the new SMS service. This text facility empowers citizens to check whether a document is officially registered with the SRO. Notably, the Inspector General of Registration has also indicated plans to scan and upload documents from registrations that occurred between 1985 and 2001, as these were originally recorded manually.