A critical error made by the UT estate office has resulted in significant consequences for property owners. Numerous allottees are struggling to have their properties removed from the ‘resumed' category due to incorrect tagging during the digitalization of records. These errors have caused substantial challenges, with owners spending years attempting to correct them.

A resident from Sector 35, who preferred to remain anonymous, shared that after the death of their father, they decided to transfer the property from their father's name to the children, only to find that the property was mistakenly marked as resumed in the estate office's online records. This discovery occurred in early 2023. When they contacted the estate office, it took nearly four months for the office to acknowledge that the property was wrongly classified as resumed. It was revealed that data from a resumed property in a different sector had been uploaded under the father’s name. As of January 2024, the information had still not been corrected, and the file was still being processed. They can only proceed with the property transfer once the information is rectified.

A property owner from Sector 22, dealing with similar issues, remarked that many people are unaware of the process to correct such errors. They feel at the mercy of the officials responsible for making the changes. What was intended to be a relief through digitalization has instead caused more problems for the residents.

Kamal Gupta, the president of the Property Consultant Association Chandigarh, noted that the glitch in the estate office's digital records is a significant source of harassment for city residents. It often takes a year or more for records to be corrected. The files must pass through several levels, including a committee of officials, before reaching the estate officer's desk for the final correction. Gupta also expressed concern that many allottees remain unaware that their properties are listed as resumed in the estate office records. He pointed out that only a few residents check the online records, typically when they wish to transfer property. He questioned what would happen in the future if hard copies of the records are no longer available. Gupta called on the estate office to address this issue.

The origin of the problem can be traced back to around a decade ago when the estate office began computerising its records. An official explained that mistakes were made during the entry process, including double entries in the new software. In many cases, properties that had not been resumed were incorrectly marked as resumed, affecting hundreds of commercial and residential properties.

The situation's severity became evident when more than 250 cases were identified during grievance camps in December 2023. Despite instructions to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) to resolve the issue more efficiently, the correction process remains slow. Gupta mentioned that only about 200 cases highlighted during the camp were resolved promptly, while the remaining cases continue to face a lengthy process.

In response, Nishant Kumar Yadav, the deputy commissioner-cum-estate officer, stated that special camps would be organized to expedite the data correction process. He added that the estate office would review and improve its procedures to ensure that allottees do not face further delays or harassment.