By Our Correspondent
Phidim (Panchthar), Dec. 5: Introduction of online automation has helped control revenue leakage at the land revenue office in Panchthar.
The deposits of land registration tariffs reached 100 per cent from 40 per cent following the start of online land registration.
Baburam Pokharel, chief of the land revenue office Phidim, said that revenue collection rate had not slowed down, but land trading had gone down after the implementation of the online registration.
The automation demands the required revenue amount to be mentioned for the deposits in each trading which had controlled the trend of misusing it.
"The system itself controls revenue leakage and provides authentic bills of each trading to the customers," Pokharel said.
The online automation has helped curb nuisances witnessed in the land registration system, fake billing and the practice of seeking inflated amounts for the registration and helped discourage corrupt practices taking place.
Panchthar Land Revenue Office had collected revenues worth Rs.17, 500,000 last year but in the first quarter of current fiscal year revenues amounting to Rs.400, 000 has been collected. The land revenue office mostly charges fees on family inheritance claim, land registration and others.
According to the authorities, the office implemented online automation since 2017. The partial automation was adopted during the initial days. "Both manual and online systems are practiced now," Pokharel said.
Pokharel said the office employees found it easy to work through online. "No one is able to hide their land property and escape from paying less tax to the government as the system helps expose all details," he said.
According to him, the system requires to have biometrical details like photograph, thumb print and other details from the customers for the trading and certification. It is safer now to conduct land registration from the revenue perspectives because all authentic details are included inside, he said.
Land trading activities in the country have invited more criticism for several wrongdoings during land registration, but the implementation of the online automation has prevented these fraudulent acts.
Panchthar Land Revenue Office has become a model land revenue office following online automation because it had made all activities of the office more transparent. The service seekers visiting the office have expressed satisfaction over the implementation of new system for land registration.