Chennai, Oct 24 : PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss has opposed the Tamil Nadu government’s reported plan to introduce privately operated property registration centres and outsource land survey operations. He warned that the move could threaten jobs, increase registration costs for the public and worsen corruption in government departments.
In a statement on Saturday, October 24, Anbumani said the state government had invited tenders to establish five model property registration centres in Ambattur, Tiruvanmiyur and T Nagar in Chennai, along with Chengalpattu and Coimbatore.
The proposed centres would operate from air-conditioned malls with modern facilities, allowing people to register property documents without waiting in long queues. Depending on the public response, the government plans to establish 20 additional centres.
However, Anbumani raised concerns over the proposed additional service charges. According to him, private operators would be permitted to collect between Rs 2,090 and Rs 10,630 over and above the regular property registration fees.
Anbumani Questions Private Property Registration Centres
Anbumani pointed out that Tamil Nadu already has 595 registration offices across 56 registration districts. He argued that the government should improve existing facilities instead of allowing private companies to operate registration centres.
He noted that the Registration Department is expected to generate Rs 35,109 crore in revenue during the current financial year. Even one per cent of this revenue, he said, could be used to modernise government registration offices and provide air-conditioned facilities.
The PMK leader alleged that allowing private companies to collect additional service charges would place an unnecessary financial burden on the public.
He also rejected the government’s reported clarification that private companies would provide only basic amenities while the registration process remained under government control. Comparing the proposal to allowing a “camel’s head into a tent”, he warned that the move could eventually lead to the complete privatisation of the Registration Department.
Land Survey Outsourcing Raises Job Security Concerns
Anbumani also expressed concern over the reported plan to outsource land survey operations to private agencies from January.
He said temporary land surveyors currently earn around Rs 23,000 per month and have been demanding better wages and job security.
According to Anbumani, temporary surveyors who approached senior department officials were reportedly informed that land survey operations would be outsourced and contract workers could lose their jobs by December.
He said the reported decision had created uncertainty among workers who depend on these jobs for their livelihoods.
PMK Leader Warns of Increased Corruption
Anbumani alleged that corruption was already a major concern in Tamil Nadu’s Registration and Land Survey departments. He warned that transferring these services to private agencies could create further opportunities for malpractice and irregularities.
He urged the state government to withdraw the proposed changes, recruit sufficient staff for both departments and improve infrastructure at existing government offices.
The PMK president maintained that property registration and land survey services should be strengthened through public investment and adequate staffing rather than relying on private operators.
