Now, transfer of land simplified in Himachal Pradesh

Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 2
People will not have to chase the elusive patwaris for the mutation of land and obtaining documents required for various certificates with the government making sweeping reforms in procedures and allowing the transfer of title at the tehsil level.
According to the amended rules approved by the Cabinet, it will be possible to carry out mutation at the tehsil office itself on the basis of the prescribed documents and it can be effected immediately. A land sale deed is registered if both parties agree. It will not only bring efficiency and transparency but also help prevent corruption at the grassroots.
At present the process of mutation is initated at the patwar circle and the entry in the revenue record concerning the transfer of ownership is made by the patwari. It is inspected by the kanungo concerned and the mutation is finally effected by the Tehsildar. The entire process takes quite some time and in many cases the mutation is not carried out for years.
Documents certifying the status of an individual as Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, legal heir, bona fide Himachali and minority can now be issued by any officer right up to the level of Deputy Commissioner. The entire data pertaining to certificates issued by various officers will be available on the web and any document issued wrongly can be challenged.
The Cabinet has also decided to fix circle rates for determining stamp duty and registration fee for the sale and purchase of land in the state which will come into force from April 1, 2012. The exercise will be carried out annually and apart from the type of land, the distance from the road head will also be taken into consideration while determining the value. To make the exercise objective, the highest rate will be for the land adjacent to the road and it will decline as the distance from the road increases. There is no proposal to increase the rate and for the next year the rate will be worked out on the basis of the existing rates. The deputy commissioners will be empowered to moderate the rate in cases where there has been an unjustified increase.
The government has also decided to impose penalty for failure to renew registration of vehicles after 15 years. The penalty for transport vehicles will be Rs 1,000 for a delay of 30 to 90 days, Rs 2,000 up to 180 days and Rs 3,000 beyond six months. Similarly, the penalty for non-transports vehicles will be Rs 500, Rs 1,000 and Rs 1500 in the three respective slabs. In case a new vehicle is not registered within the stipulated period, the penalty will be Rs 500 up to 30 days, Rs 1,000 up to 90 days and Rs 2,000 up to six months with an additional Rs 100 per day thereafter.

Courtesy : http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111203/himachal.htm#3

Courtesy http://himachalpradesh.punjabkesari.in/himachalpradesh/fullstory/28749504_160917-

Courtesy : http://himachalpradesh.punjabkesari.in/himachalpradesh/fullstory/28691034_160918-