Seals affixed on property documents should be legible: Farmers

COIMBATORE: Farmers submitted a petition to Coimbatore district collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar on Thursday demanding that land documents prepared and registered for them must be maintained clearly and properly. They said the seals affixed on stamp papers (property documents) should clearly mention the location of the treasury, which issued them, and the date and year of stamping. They also stressed the need to ensure proper quality and clarity of the seals.

The Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam submitted the petition at the Farmers’ Grievance Redressal Meeting held at the district collectorate.

The association pointed out that in many valuable stamp papers issued for sale, the seal indicating the treasury office, which issued the stamp, and the date and year of stamping were often unclear. Even after registration, the seals affixed on the spread of documents were not clearly visible, said Dr G Ranganathan, state executive committee member of the association.

On examining documents registered decades ago, it was found that the clarity of such seals had gradually reduced from the 1930s to the present, he added.

Despite technological advancements and increased govt revenue from stamp paper fees, the declining quality and clarity of seals on documents that should be preserved for over a hundred years reflected negligence in the concerned departments, it said.

The association requested the authorities to investigate the issue and take necessary action to improve the quality of stamp seals. It suggested the introduction of a computer-based verification system where the stamp paper number can be checked digitally to identify the treasury district where it was sold. Such improvements could help reduce the large number of property-related cases pending in courts.