Hyderabad: The unlicensed document writers are working as “middlemen” in the Sub-registrar offices. They are having sway in getting the documents registered without much fuss. The state government has no control over these unlicensed document writers.
Prior to the Corona pandemic, Madhukar Reddy of Yacharam in Rangareddy District purchased a 300 sq. yard plot in a real estate venture. According to the government valuation, the registration fee was Rs.1.20 lakh.
Reddy paid Rs.8,800 as stamp duty, transfer duty, registration fee and user charges and the document writers had not demanded any bribe for carrying out this task.
However, post Covid-19, these document writers are demanding a percentage of the property value as their fee stating that they need to pay part of this fee to those working inside the sub registrar’s office.
Reddy paid Rs.4000 to a document writer as bribe to get his transaction done without any hindrance. If the money is not paid, the staff would point out many “discrepancies” to delay the transaction.
It is alleged that the sub registrar’s staff is involved in these illegal activities. Document Registration work is done in the sub registrar’s office while 90% of the work is done inside the document writer’s office which is located near the Registrar’s office.
When the document writer enters into the Sub registrar’s office, everything is done smoothly. Even though, as per the law no persons other than the property seller, purchaser and the witnesses are allowed inside the Sub registrar offices.
The middlemen perform more tasks than the sub registrar’s staff. These document writers have no licence and the state government has no control over them.
There are more than 2000 document writers working near 141 sub registrar offices. Post Covid-19, these document writers do not hesitate to demand money outright for document registration.
Formerly, they never used to make any demand and were collecting charges in keeping with the nature of the transaction. But now, these document writers demand a part of the property value as their charge.
It is said that when the transaction is assigned to document writers it goes through smoothly otherwise the sub registrar’s staff make the parties run from pillar to post.
The document writers unabashedly admit that they pay part of what they receive from the parties to the sub registrar’s employees.