KARACHI: A World Bank report said on Thursday that the rural land records had been digitized by the government of Punjab in a bid to improve service delivery.
According to the report, the Land Records Management Information System (LRMIS) has been rolled out in all 36 districts of Punjab through 143 Arazi Record Centers (ARCs).
LRMIS has helped reduce the time required to complete transactions from two months to just 45 minutes. The ARCs have also helped reduce costs, increase transparency, and improve governance.
Under the old system of records, people would face great difficulties in accessing the patwari, the village accountant responsible for land recordkeeping.
Under the old, manual system of records, it could be a struggle to get hold of the Patwari, the village accountant responsible for land records. People who wanted to get things done required bribes, while women intending to secure their rights to ancestral land faced great difficulties. The records were demarked on a sheet of cloth without any backup.
Moreover, local users have expressed appreciation over the introduction of a computerized system and the presence of female staff to attend to female clients. They have appreciated the system for being corruption free and hope that the system would bring a halt to illegal transfers of land.
The LRMIS has brought a revolutionary change in rural Punjab. The project is planned to be replicated in other provinces. The project aims to replace the inefficient and corrupt Patwari culture through transparent and quick service. It will also prevent the courts from being clogged with land litigation disputes.
