Now, 14 new offices to register your property

The government has acquired a total of 40,000 sq ft of leased commercial space at MTNL exchange buildings in the city, which will accommodate the new centres

Now, 14 new offices to register your property

The government has acquired a total of 40,000 sq ft of leased commercial space at MTNL exchange buildings in the city, which will accommodate the new centres

Here's good news for new property owners who have been procrastinating the process of registering their acquisitions, in fear of the serpentine and slow-moving queues at the property registration offices in the city.

The state government is planning to open as many as 14 new property registration offices in Mumbai.

At present, property-owners have to get their acquisitions registered at offices which are few and far between situated at Fort, Bandra, Chembur, Nahur and Borivli.

The space crunch in the offices has also been a great source of discontent, with queues sprawling out the premises.u00a0

Going by reports, the state government is currently immersed in negotiations with the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), as it is soon to be the tenant of the telecommunication body, which will be leasing 40,000 sq ft of office space in telephone exchanges across the city, for the state government to use as property registration offices.
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So it is not just you, the ordinary Mumbaikar, who is struggling under the heavy burden of unreasonable rent rates.

Even after the government reached a consensus in June about the need for more property registration offices in the city, it could not implement its decision owing to the fact that there was no space to accommodate these new offices.

A senior government official said, "New offices have been sanctioned four in the city proper, four in Andheri, four in Borivli, and two in Kurla.

However, the current market rates are so steep, that we cannot purchase, or even rent private property at these locations."

While on the hunt for space, the state was informed that MTNL has large commercial spaces on offer for rent, in telephone exchange buildings.

According to an official, the telecom body has offered office space to the government, in its telephone exchange buildings at Cooperage, Peddar Road, Adarsh Nagar in Worli, Wadala and Mazgaon.
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For property registration offices in the suburbs, MTNL has offered to lease space in its telephone exchanges at Khar, Goregaon, Kandivli, Saki Vihar Road and Powai.u00a0

According to insiders, however, the only obstacle coming in the way of a lease-licence agreement between the two bodies are the exorbitant rent rates quoted by the MTNL.

A meeting was held recently at Mantralaya between the state's Chief Secretary, Ratnakar Gaikwad, and the MTNL Chairman Kuldeep Singh.
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"As soon as the deal is finalised, the government will shift the stamps superintendent's office, which is presently located at Town Hall, to the new premises at the Cooperage Telephone Exchange building," said an official.

He added that that the MTNL has already offered its office spaces at Mira Road and Bhayandar to the state government, and negotiations are in progress for the acquisition of an office space in Thane as well.

Additional Chief Secretary J S Saharia said, "The government was in the process of identifying new office spaces, and MTNL was one of the bodies which offered it.

We want to make the new offices functional as soon as possible, as a great number of properties have been purchased recently, which have to be registered."

60,000
The number of properties registered between April and September this year

Rs 80K cr
Revenue generated by the state, through the sale of stamp paper and property registration