Mumbai: Soon, tenants may not have to visit police stations

Soon, tenants may be exempted from visiting police stations for the mandatory verification. This could be possible as the registration department is set to transfer its data to the police department. Details submitted to the registration department, such as proof of name, past residence address, etc, will be shared with the police department through a special software.

However, those who submit documents manually at the registration department for leave and licence agreement will still have to visit police stations for verification. A source in the Inspector General of Registration (IGR) department said the data transfer process is in the last stage and the National Informatics Centre is helping with the same. “We had proposed the plan a year ago and now, it is in the final stages,” said an official.



A police official told TOI that once the data is shared with them, citizens need not visit police stations. “When the registration department mooted the idea, we had put forth our requirements, which include citizen verification identity cards as well as residence proof, both current and past, and nationality. These details are anyway submitted in the registration details. There is no point duplicating the information. If it is provided to us, we will have it easy,” said Sanjeev Kumar Singhal, additional director general, state crime records bureau.

Singhal said that once they receive the data from the registration department, they would direct people not to visit police stations for the verification process. “This facility is for those tenants who do e-registration. Those who submit documents manually to the registration department for leave and licence agreement will still have to come to us,” he told TOI on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the state registration department and police are keen on making it compulsory for tenants to e-register. Registration officials said the move is aimed at weed out middlemen.

The office of the Inspector General of Registration and Controller of Stamps (IGR) had submitted a proposal to the home department earlier this year, which was aimed at exempting tenants from mandatory police verification, while simplifying registration process and giving police instant access to the data.

IGR officials felt that citizens will feel encouraged to opt for e-registration if they are exempted from police verification. There are more than 500 authorized service providers in the state who, for a fixed fee, can register the documents and execute the leave and licence agreements at home. All people need to have is a webcam, a fingerprint scanner and Internet. “The services are available, provided the police verification is done simultaneously. Individuals have to provide Aadhaar and PAN details,’’ said an official.