OM Bureau
Bhubaneswar:
Scam in Stamps and Stamped papers to the extent of multi-thousand crore of rupees having hit the country mercilessly in 2002-03, Governments both at the center and in the States have been trying to invent ways to stop its recurrence. Orissa has invented one that can unfailingly succeed.
Orissas Inspector General of Registration, Mr.Pramod Chandra Patnaik has issued circulars, on interpretation of existing laws, to the Licensing authorities, Treasury Officers and to the Collectors, to ensure that Stamps/Papers are issued only to the licensed vendors.
The Vendors are to place their respective transaction Registers at the end of each quarter before the Licensing authorities for verification of supply, sale and stock of Stamps and stamped-papers. The Additional District Magistrates are the licensing authorities in Orissa. The Orissa Supply and sale of Stamps and Stamped-papers Rule, 1990 stipulates that the licensing authorities are to record the word VERIFIED after the last entry in the Register submitted by the vendor in token of examination.
Patnaik has noted, It is being observed that the licensing authorities do not verify the Registers of the vendors at quarterly intervals. Therefore, there is every possibility that misuse of Stamps and stamped documents can go undetected till it assumes serious proportion.
Asking the ADMs to verify Stamp Registers of vendors scrupulously at the end of every quarter, the IGR has warned them that any failure shall attract the Law that prescribes that you shall be held responsible.
As a precautionary step, the Treasury and Sub-Treasury Officers have been asked to issue Stamps to the vendors only after examining that the licensing authority has duely verified the concerned Register.
In another circular to the Collectors, as they are the controllers of Treasury in their respective districts, the IGR has intimated that the Treasury Officers are to put their signature with stamp on the backside of every stamped paper whose value is more than Rs.1000/-. In papers below this value stamped signatures of the Treasury officers will do. The Collectors are required to educate the Treasury and Sub-Treasury Officers under their control accordingly. In addition, as a safety measure, the Collectors are to see that the vendors submit their specimen signature to the Revenue Officer for circulation within the district so as to eliminate every possibility of counterfeit stamps being used.