The Indian Express 06.06.2013
BMC system promises relief to PAPs, reduce new projects problems
BMC has developed a web-based system to link database of project-affected persons (PAPs) with information on sites available for rehabilitation.
The aim is to reduce problems faced by new projects in the city and soften the blow of displacement by relocating PAPs to nearby areas in a time-bound manner.
"PAPs will be able to reserve flats in nearby buildings. If they fail to occupy the flats within three months, we will cancel reservations. PAPs frequently complain they are given accomodation at far off places. To avoid such problems and to smoothen the process of rehabilitation, we have created this database," said additional municipal commissioner Aseem Gupta.
"The proposal will be placed at the next standing committee meeting for approval. We also want to integrate the Aadhar system to ensure there is no duplication or malpractice in rehabilitation of PAPs," he said.
Municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte announced in his budget speech for fiscal 2013-2014 that the civic estates department had been made the nodal agency for "taking over PAP tenements and making them liveable before allotment to families affected by various development schemes".
A budgetary provision of Rs 40 crore has been made for this purpose.
The new web-based system will also involve biometrics for identification and to avoid the problem of duplication. Probity Software, which has developed the system, has been roped in to synchronise databases.
"Notices will be sent to PAPs seeking details and documents. They will have to fill forms and register fingerprints for verification throughout the process," said Shantanu Kulkarni, propreitor of Probity Software.
"Ward officers are also expected to visit plots reserved by the civic estates department for rehabilitation. Information on these plots, such as condition and the number of tenants relocating, will be available online," he said.
Property transfers under watch
The new system will also keep track of property transfers. The technology will ensure all registration documents are submitted to BMC. "Often, only half the documents are submitted. With this technology, BMC will be able to easily view status of various properties. Alerts can also be sent to parties concerned to submit documents in time," said a civic official.
The system is also expected to accelerate transfer of land titles. "Normally, transferring property titles takes a year because of the many signatures needed from different officials. Using digital signatures and fingerprinting technology for identification, we should be able to considerably speed up the process," said the official.
