Chennai: Members of the public have complained that deed registrations at sub-registrar offices are getting delayed as officials give priority to approving documents filed through the online system.
The Registration Department is shifting registration services to digital mode through the STAR 3.0 software. A facility to register sale deeds for houses and plots without visiting the sub-registrar office was introduced on August 17 and has received a positive response.
Following this, the department has made it mandatory to register certain loan-related documents—such as the memorandum of deposit of title deeds (MOD) given to banks and financial institutions, and the receipt document executed when a loan is closed—without appearing in person. The department has announced that this decision will come into effect from tomorrow.
As per instructions, sub-registrars must approve online-submitted documents within 24 hours. Officials therefore begin their day by scrutinising and clearing online filings, and only then take up regular in-person registrations.
As a result, people who obtain tokens for morning registration say they are being made to wait until around 12 noon, rendering time-slot tokens ineffective. While accepting that online filings can be prioritised, the public has urged the department to ensure that walk-in registrations are also handled without prolonged waiting. A sub-registrar was quoted as saying the software is designed to allow in-person registrations only after online documents are completed, leaving little flexibility.
