Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday will start e-mutation for all wards in Rajarhat, Baguiati, Teghoria, Kaikhali and Gopalpur, officials of the civic body said.
Residents of wards 1 to 28 of the civic body will have to log into the website of the BMC and file for e-mutation themselves.
Earlier, people staying in these places had to go to the respective borough offices to get their properties mutated. An official of the BMC’s mutation department said all wards in Salt Lake already had this facility for a few years.
“We decided to make the system online in order to make the entire process simpler for residents. We had received several complaints from residents of these areas about touts who charged exorbitant rates to get the mutation done on their behalf,” said the official.
According to the official, in order to get a property’s mutation done, the residents would first need to log into the website of the civic body, www.bmcwbgov.in.
Next, they have to file a self-declaration saying they have been living at the address but do not have the property in their name. “Such situations usually arise when an occupier or owner does not possess the completion certificate,” said the official.
For old properties, the mutation can be done provided the applicant clears all tax dues at the time of paying the mutation fee. Mutation cannot be done if the BMC comes across any complaint against any old ornew property and the building department declares thestructure illegal.
“Even if the owner has paid the taxes till the time the building is deemed illegal, we will consider it payment for the services rendered for the period the person was staying in the property,” said the official.
Another senior official of the civic body said having a property mutated in one’s name doesn’t mean the person gets ownership.
“The mutation document is just proof that the person is occupying the property and paying the tax. It is not an ownership paper like a title deed,” the official said.
In case someone challenges the mutation later, that person will be asked to furnish documents to back his claim.
“If it emerges that the challenger is the owner, we will cancel the old mutation and issue a new mutation certificate in the owner’s name,” the official said.
