In a statement, he said the state government had invited tenders to establish five model property registration centres through private operators in Ambattur, Tiruvanmiyur and T Nagar in Chennai, as well as in Chengalpattu and Coimbatore.
The centres are proposed to be set up in air-conditioned malls with modern amenities, enabling people to register documents without waiting in queues, he said.
Depending on the response to the initiative, 20 more such centres are planned, Anbumani said, adding that private operators would be allowed to collect additional service charges ranging from Rs 2,090 to Rs 10,630 over and above the regular registration fees.
Pointing out that Tamil Nadu has 595 registration offices across 56 registration districts, he said there was no need to establish privately operated centres.
The Registration Department is expected to generate Rs 35,109 crore in revenue during the current financial year. Even one per cent of this amount could be used to upgrade facilities and provide air-conditioned premises at existing government offices, he said.
“Handing over these operations to private entities and allowing them to collect service charges of up to Rs 10,630 amounts to exploiting the public,” he alleged.
Rejecting the government’s clarification that private companies would provide only basic facilities while the registration process remained under government control, Anbumani compared the move to allowing a “camel’s head into a tent”.
He warned that the initiative could eventually pave the way for the complete privatisation of the Registration Department.
Turning to land surveying, Anbumani highlighted the concerns of temporary surveyors, who earn Rs 23,000 a month and have been seeking job security and higher wages.