GUJRAT: The local administration’s move of banning the land transfer on the basis of property tax document known as PT-I has caused unrest among the public and loss of revenue.

Though the administration had imposed the ban on such transactions almost two months back but the unrest has been growing with every passing day. The members of the district bar association have raised the matter with the deputy commissioner and other authorities concerned but to no avail. The real estate agents have also expressed resentment against the move.

Usually the revenue department does not have the record of the ownership of properties in the areas known as Laal Lakeer (red line) in the city due to which it has been a general practice across the province that the PT-1 is used as a proof of ownership on the basis of which the registered deed of property transactions is approved at the registration branches.

To be on the safer side, the previous administrations would seek reports of the revenue field staff such as patwari and revenue officer (tehsildar) on property’s location and status of its possession to avoid any fraud in the process of documentation.

The issue is being faced by the people of urban centres such as Gujrat city, Jalalpur Jattan, Kunjah and even some rural parts of the district where the land revenue department has not maintained a record since the creation of Pakistan.

Official sources said the owners who already had a registration deed of the property within the boundary of Laal Lakeer on the basis of previous transactions would usually get permission for the further sale and purchase by showing the previous deed as well as the reports of the field staff on the PT-I, the document issued by the excise and taxation department.

However, the land revenue authorities have stopped the transactions of properties on the basis of previously registered deeds.

Gujrat DC Saif Anwar Jappa had written a letter to the inspector general (registration) in the board of revenue, seeking advice on the transfer of property on the base of PT-I in October but he did not get any reply.

Mr Jappa told Dawn that such transactions had been stopped to avoid fraud with people since the PT-I was not an ownership document as even the tenants were registered on the PT-I who would often sell the rented properties. That’s why he had stopped such transactions.

The DC added that he had already written to the board of revenue seeking guidance in this regard as some complaints of property transactions on PT-I had been received from the anti-corruption establishment.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2020