The irregularities at the sub-registrar offices in Bengaluru were exposed by the Lokayukta Tuesday after a report prepared by it said it is hard to differentiate between officers and touts at these offices. After multiple complaints from the citizens, the Lokayukta had registered a case and constituted teams to conduct a study of the sub-registrar offices in Bengaluru city. Ten teams were formed with each one of them consisting of a judicial officer, deputy superintendent of police and two-three police inspectors. The teams visited 43 sub-registrar offices located in various parts of Bengaluru urban district. In most of the sub-registrar offices, agents or mediators and stamp vendors were seen moving around the office and collecting stamp fees and charges for registration and scanning copies. The Lokayukta teams noted that the charges were more than the prescribed amounts. It was also found that PAN numbers of those getting their properties registered were deliberately not mentioned in the registration summaries in order to help them evade payment of income tax. The Lokayukta report further said, "It was difficult to differentiate between officials and touts since touts were acting as officials to execute the job." In some of the offices, touts were found sitting inside the sub-registrar's chamber and working. Also, private deed writers and stamp vendors were seen in the office working as middlemen. In some of the offices, group ‘D’ employees were not wearing uniforms and some of the employees were found not signing the attendance register. It was also found that the CCTV cameras were not working in some of the sub-registrar offices. At the Banashankari sub-registrar office, a person named Bharat was waiting with his physically-disabled mother from 9.30 am to register a site. He said computer operator Ramalinga had asked him to wait and had said he would take up their file only when eight files arrive on his table. “So, only when agents come with the files, the registration process is carried out,” the report further said. “It is impossible to believe that such middlemen or touts could operate from the premises of the offices without the connivance of the concerned sub-registrars and other staff working in the office of sub-registrars. Therefore, a stringent action is required to be initiated against such officers who have connived with the touts to harass the public for extraneous considerations,” the report said. It is also stated that there is lack of supervision and inspection by superior officers over the functions of the sub-registrars. Justice B S Patil, Lokayukta head in Bengaluru, has issued notices to all the sub-registrar offices that the Lokayukta teams visited and to the inspector general of registration and commissioner of stamps and other top officials to respond to it by September 6.
