The decision of the J&K Government to issue land passbook to the people across Jammu & Kashmir is though a very laudable measure but all depends on the execution of the decisions as thousands of disputes over land rights are still pending in several courts for years and even decades together across Jammu & Kashmir and in Ladhak as well which till August 5, 2019 was a part of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state. Worth mentioning is the fact that though the process of digitisation of land records was set into motion by the erstwhile Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led PDP-Congress coalition government in the year 2005 but the process has not been still completed. Indeed it was a very difficult task for the government to maintain the land records for the purposes of hassle free access to the landowner but IT having changed the entire process of governance in Jammu & Kashmir like many states and union territories of the country has brought the unimaginable change in the revenue administration as well. By all standards of understandabilities better it would be for the government to expedite the process of digitisation of land for the purposes of it’s full completion and simultaneously start the process of issuing certificates in case of digitised lands in phases across Jammu & Kashmir. Corrective measures in cases of incorrect measurements enforced through unlawful insertions of land records could also be part of the process of digitisation yet to be completed in Jammu & Kashmir but the completion of this process is now must for the issuance of land passbooks to the people. What matters is the complete investigation into the alleged unlawful insertions in the revenue records alongside the much awaited process of digitisation of land records as such a two pronged historical initiative could also end the era of land disputes between neighbours, relations and communities at large reported before tribunal and courts from time to time during last several decades in Jammu & Kashmir.
In the current era of IT revolution the issuance of digitised land pass books would by all standards of understandabilities give people much awaited online access to land records just on a single click on their mobile handsets. Never forget people still queue up in the subordinate offices of the revenue department to get a single copy of land records and they get it after several days and sometimes after many weeks. Not just the announcement but the execution of the decision would be laudable.
Since the processes of both digitsation and as well as issuance of land passs books is to be implemented for the purposes of hassle free facility of online information about land records to people, the decision is a welcome move but execution of the decision with institutional and administrative neutrality could make the entire process of issuance of land passbooks a success. In the current era of IT revolution the issuance of digitised land pass books would by all standards of understandabilities give people much awaited online access to land records just on a single click on their mobile handsets. Never forget people still queue up in the subordinate offices of the revenue department to get a single copy of land records and they get it after several days and sometimes after many weeks. Not just the announcement but the execution of the decision would be laudable.
