By Deepthi Nandan Reddy
Published: 14th September 2015 04:06 AM
HYDERABAD:Registration department officials are taking steps to check illegal property transactions by land-grabbers and impersonators. They are planning to link Aadhaar data to registrations to check illegal transactions and detect impersonators. A proposal has been sent to the regional office of Unique Identification Development Authority of India (UIDAI).
As the Supreme Court has ruled that Aadhaar linkage is optional, registration department officials cannot insist on compulsory Aadhaar verification but will make biometric machines available at all sub-registrar’s offices to check the identity of the person using Aadhaar card.
“Verification of Aadhaar details at sub- registrar’s offices during registration needs UIDAI’s approval and we hope to get clarity on this initiative in two weeks. We are confident that verification of the identity using Aadhaar card during registration will help in controlling property frauds at least to some extent,” Vemula Srinivasulu, deputy inspector-general (registration & stamps) told Express.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, officials of the department have started filing cases of impersonation in the state capital. “Recently, we have lodges two impersonation complaints with the Panjagutta police and one with the Nampally police. This is the first time that we have filed impersonation cases. We want to be strict to control property frauds to save many innocent people from getting cheated,” he said.
Property frauds occur in many ways. In impersonation a person, claiming to be the actual land-owner, comes to the sub-registrar’s office to sell a land and register it in the name of the so-called buyer. Registration department officials regularly receive complaints of impersonation at sub-registrar’s offices.
During registration of properties, two persons appear as witnesses along with the seller and the buyer. If the witnesses too are frauds, impersonation crimes occur easily.
“Impersonation is the only illegal activity against which the registration department can take action. Therefore, we want to act strict within our purview. Though it is an additional work burden on our employees, we have ordered all sub-registrars to book impersonation cases, if detected, without fail,” Srinivasulu said.
Biometric Check
■ Registration department will make biometric machines ava ilable at all sub-registrar’s offices to check Aadhaar cards.