PLRA’s ‘overloaded’ online system frustrates citizens

LAHORE:Hundreds of thousands of citizens are facing serious difficulties in getting mutation and other certifications regarding their lands as the online system of Punjab Land Record Authority (PLRA) is ‘overloaded’.

A number of citizens from across the province while talking with the scribe termed this an allegedly planned move by PLRA management because new rates of property value (DC rates) will be enforced from July 1, 2024 and they (citizens) have to pay more to the government as mutation and other fees related to transfer of properties.

The citizens said if the system was not fully restored then they have to pay the taxes as per the new rates in July. They said the PLRA should give relaxation to those who tried to use the application software in June but their transactions were not done due to system error/overloading.

Some citizens alleged that the technological upgradation, software and IT machinery developed at the cost of millions of rupees was not up to the mark and the system crashed when it witnessed huge traffic. PLRA issued records of individuals in the land record centres established across the province. Citizens said verification and inheritance transfer case services were also being denied across the province due to system failure. Sources in PLRA claimed that all efforts of PLRA IT wing and related software companies of PLRA failed to make the online system fully operational and due to this negative development, several quarters raised eyebrows over their skills.

Citizens claimed that the PLRA management knew that the system will be overloaded in June as majority of citizens do mutation and transfer of properties before the implementation of new rates to be implemented in July (the start of new fiscal year).

Many citizens claimed that due to slowness of system, the staff deployed at the various land record centres were unable to register the issuance and death cases of the citizens. A large number of citizens coming from far away were forced to return empty-handed due to the lack of provision of services after waiting for hours at the land record centres. They asked the CM Punjab to initiate an inquiry into the issue as this was not the problem of an individual but this has affected masses across the province. They also asked the CM Punjab to re-evaluate the management and IT skills of the staff concerned who simply ‘forget’ to predict that in June the system will be overloaded and did nothing to let it happen.

PLRA DG Capt (retd) Anwarul Haq while talking to the scribe agreed that the system was slowed down due to heavy traffic. He said the PLRA has planned a major overhauling of the system and the problems will soon be resolved.