Govt holds stakeholder consultations ahead of Aug 17 online property regn launch

CHENNAI: The State Registration Department has begun daily online consultation sessions for promoters, bankers and financial institutions ahead of the rollout of its mandatory presenceless registration system from August 17, while simultaneously announcing additional advance booking slots at Sub-Registrar offices across the State on July 16 to meet the anticipated spike in property registrations before the commencement of the Tamil month of Aadi.

The department said the presenceless registration system, aimed at improving transparency and public convenience, will initially be made compulsory for the first sale of flats and plotted developments. The digital platform will subsequently be extended to other categories of document registrations in a phased manner. To ensure a smooth transition, officials have scheduled daily Google Meet sessions from 2 pm to 3 pm to explain the new process, conduct live demonstrations, address stakeholders' queries and receive suggestions for its effective implementation. The department has appealed to promoters, banks and financial institutions to participate actively in the consultations and extend their cooperation.

In a separate measure, the department has increased advance booking quotas for July 16, the last day of Aani, following public representations and in view of the traditionally high volume of registrations before Aadi begins.

Accordingly, offices with a single Sub-Registrar will issue 150 advance booking tokens, up from the existing 100, while offices with two Sub-Registrars will increase the quota from 200 to 300. In addition, 100 high-volume Sub-Registrar Offices will issue 150 regular booking tokens instead of 100 and increase tatkal booking tokens from 12 to 16.

Officials said the enhanced allocation would help accommodate higher public demand, reduce waiting time and ensure seamless document registration services on one of the busiest days in the State's property registration calendar.