A person was asked to visit the Pernem Mamlatdar's office to inspect a property's Matriz certificate. On reaching the office, he found the old Portuguese-era record books in a poor and dilapidated condition. It took him nearly two hours to locate the required entry, highlighting the urgent need to preserve these fragile records through digitisation.
Although Goa's online revenue services claim that citizens can apply for Matriz certificates digitally, many applicants say they receive no response after submitting their requests.
The complete scanning, data entry and uploading of Matriz records across all taluka Mamlatdar offices should be prioritised. Many old record books still await digitisation, despite containing valuable property and ancestral ownership information. Making these records available online would enable instant verification of Artigo numbers and ownership details while protecting fragile historical documents.
Digitisation would also improve transparency and reduce the need for the public to make repeated visits to Mamlatdar offices for property verification and related services.
RAJESH BANAULIKAR, Arpora
