Lack of supply, closed counters, and vendor malpractice leave the public struggling
Kurnool: There is an acute shortage of non-judicial stamp papers across Kurnool district. This has created severe hardships for buyers and sellers registering property.
In fact, the shortage has been going on for the past several months, forcing people to depend on e-stamps. Taking advantage, several vendors are reportedly selling e-stamps at inflated rates, charging three to four times the actual value.
For example, a Rs 10 stamp is being sold for as much as Rs 30–40, while Rs 20 and Rs 50 denominations are going for Rs 50 and Rs 150 respectively. Many buyers have complained that the registration department is indifferent to their plight, as officials maintain that making stamp papers available is not their concern.
There had been 24 sub-registrar offices in erstwhile Kurnool district. However, adequate non-judicial stamps are not being supplied to them, mainly because the district registrar’s office has failed to maintain stock levels. This has left people entirely dependent on e-stamps.
Compounding the problem, the booking counter at the district registrar’s office—which previously sold stamps—has remained closed for the past three to four months after the ACB arrested an employee posted there in a corruption case. Since then, no replacement has been appointed, and the counter has remained shut.
Significantly, the shortage has not remained limited to non-judicial stamps alone. Revenue stamps, court stamps, special adhesive stamps, and franking stamps are also scarce, creating widespread inconvenience.
People running the franking centres are also collecting extra amounts from the public for franking their documents.
Sources allege that the e-stamping stockholder responsible for supplying e-stamps to Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur, and Prakasam districts has deliberately created an artificial scarcity. Vendors claim that stamps are supplied only if they deposit registration challans through the stockholder’s account. As a result, e-stamps are not available on time, driving up prices in the open market.
Surprisingly, officials, when questioned, say the matter has not come to their attention. Once that happens, they will take action.
