Pune: Maharashtra’s first privately operated model sub-registrar office (SRO) is coming up in Kothrud and is slated to become operational in the first week of Aug, state registration department officials said on Wednesday.The Kothrud facility, along with two model SROs in Mumbai, one in Navi Mumbai and another in Nagpur, will mark the first phase of the state’s plan to establish 60 model registration centres under a public-private partnership (PPP). These new hubs will operate in tandem with the 517 existing govt-run registration offices.“The work at the Kothrud centre is well underway. While the rollout was originally targetted for July, the private operator has now committed to operationalising the first five centres during the first week of Aug,” a senior registration department official said. He added that the Kothrud location was chosen due to its high volume of registration demands and central location.Citizens opting for the model centres will have to pay an additional processing fee of up to Rs 5,217 per document. Conceived on the lines of the ‘Passport Seva Kendras,’ these model centres are designed to provide a more comfortable experience. Citizens opting for these facilities will have access to air-conditioned premises, Wi-Fi-enabled waiting areas, digital document-processing systems, organised seating, and trained support staff.Officials said the private concessionaire’s role is strictly limited to infrastructure, facility management, and support services. All statutory functions, including the actual registration of documents and legal approvals, will remain under the exclusive jurisdiction of govt sub-registrars. The registration department will maintain full regulatory control over all operations.Following the pilot phase, the department plans to roll out another 25 model SROs in high-volume districts, including Pune, Mumbai Suburban, Thane, Nashik, Nagpur, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The remaining 30 centres will eventually be established across other districts.Citizens have complained for long against overcrowding and dilapidated infrastructure at existing registration offices. SS Joshi, a senior citizen, said while the new centres may streamline the process for those who can afford it, the govt should not ignore its regular offices.“Most sub-registrar offices still lack adequate drinking water, seating, and clean toilets. The govt must also improve the infrastructure at existing offices where the majority of citizens will still go to register their properties,” he said.Rene Iyer, a Pune resident who recently registered a property, said, “Long queues and poor sanitation are major issues. While the govt is focusing on premium services, it is time they bring the regular offices up to a basic standard with proper e-step-in services and essential amenities,” she said.
