Bangalore : Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) H K Patil said on Thursday that necessary steps would be taken to ensure smooth registration of properties located in panchayat limits (also called gramtana properties) in the State.

Speaking to reporters after interacting with party workers at the Congress head office here, he said the issue would be discussed in the next Cabinet meeting.

The RDPR department would put in place necessary infrastructure to issue computerised khata (form 9 and 11) and enable smooth registration of properties, he said.

The issue was also raised by party workers during the interaction. The workers said people on the outskirts of major cities were suffering due to the confusion and urged the minister to take necessary steps to solve the problem. It was Patil’s first visit to the party office after he became minister.

The Stamps and Registration department recently made it mandatory for people to furnish computer-generated khatas for registration of gramtana properties.

Most panchayats, which come under the RDPR department, are, however, unable to comply with the new rule due to lack of infrastructure. The worst affected are properties on the periphery of Bangalore and other major cities.

Patil said the department is planning to construct pressure-assisted toilets in rural areas where water is a scarce commodity. The research and development wing of the department is exploring ways to make the pressure-assisted technology cost-effective, he added.

“This technology is used in aeroplanes. Our State may have made strides in information technology, but we are lagging in taking the technology to villages,” he stated.

A large number of toilets (water-intensive traditional toilets) being constructed by the department under Swachcha Grama Yojane are turning out to be dumping places due to non-availability of water. Nevertheless, the department has set a target to construct about six lakh toilets this financial year, he said.

Patil alleged that of the 44 lakh toilets constructed in the last five years, about 19 lakh are ‘missing’.

“They are only on paper. Funds from the Centre were spent irresponsibly. About Rs 3,500 crore under MGNREGA remained unspent during the BJP rule in the State,” he said.

He said the department had taken up rejuvenation of 12,000 tanks in rural areas.