Srikakulam: Crowds at SROs defeat purpose of online pay

Srikakulam: In the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, the state government made cashless transaction mandatory at all offices under stamps and registrations department to prevent spread of virus through currency notes.

To get adhesive and impressive stamps, encumbrance certificates, search reports, market value statements and public copies, customers need to pay fees in online mode at approved Mee Seva centres and submit receipts at the sub-registrar office (SRO) concerned.

In Srikakulam district, which has 14 SROs, officials allowed only one Mee Seva centre under each SRO. As a result, crowds of customers are seen at SROs across the district. Frequent network failures and interruptions in registrations department website are making customers eager to finish their work to gather without any social distance, thus defeating the purpose of online payments.

This overcrowding reportedly led to an employee of the registration office at Palakonda catching the disease.

Officials of stamps and registrations department have not made any arrangements to prevent crowds at either Mee Seva centres or SROs. "We have given clear instructions to our SROs and staff to make arrangements to remove crowding at one place in the wake of Covid pandemic," said district registrar R Satyannarayana.