Ahmedabad: Society sale deeds hit roadblock

AHMEDABAD: The state revenue department’s notification on July 1 to eliminating pending property registration applications at all district sub-registrar offices, has become a major problem for citizens.

For the past five days, over-cautious officers at sub-registrar offices have stopped registering sale deeds of co-operative housing societies, issuing share certificates and allotment letters.

Before the July 1 notification, an applicant wishing to buy property belonging to a co-operative housing society was allowed to file a declaration with the estimated value, which was then sent to the deputy collector (valuation) for scrutiny.

After it was cleared, the property sale deed could be registered. “The document was kept pending till the deputy collector gave clearance. The July 1 notification emphasises that officials will invite penalties for pending applications and hence we have stopped processing sale deeds of co-operative housing societies for the time being,” said a senior official at the registrar’s office in Ahmedabad.

On July 30 last year, the revenue department issued a notification where sub-registrar offices were told to collect stamp duty keeping in mind the transfer of a society’s share certificates and allotment letters while executing a sale deed.

“Since April 1982, it has been compulsory to register even the transfer of share certificates for levying stamp duty. Before registration of a sale deed the department used to ask applicants to submit declarations, pay the registration fees and when the deputy collector (evaluation) cleared the declaration, final registration would be completed. Now, registration of co-operative housing society sale deeds has been slowed down,” said the official.