As the April 15 deadline for Jantri rate revision approaches, a massive rush to purchase e-stamps has occurred across the state. Every day, approximately 200 e-stamp vendors in the city sell stamps worth up to Rs 10 lakh.
The government has stated that registration fees can be paid for up to four months after April 15, as long as both parties sign the sale deed on stamp paper before the deadline. However, the overwhelming demand has made it difficult to obtain registration appointment dates, causing people to become anxious.
For the past nine days, Ahmedabad has seen a rush to purchase e-stamps. According to Milan Patel, who works for the registration of sale deeds, documents worth Rs 3,000 crore will be registered in Ahmedabad based on demand.
Ashok Rana, a Surat vendor, has a Rs 10 lakh e-stamp sale limit, and all stamps are sold out by 1 pm every day. For e-stamps, a waiting list has been established, and people are contacted as needed. Based on the number of stamps sold, property worth Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 crore will be recorded in Surat over the next few days.
People must also wait for e-stamps. One person who purchased a flat worth Rs 32.50 lakh was required to purchase e-stamps worth Rs 1.6 lakh. He was initially denied e-stamps, and only after much persistence was he given a wait-list date of April 13.
Stamping licence holders are having difficulty because they do not have an adequate financial balance, according to Deepak Patel, an advocate. Ahmedabad has nearly 200 e-stamp vendors.
e-vendors’ daily limit of Rs 10 lakh
The state government recently authorised private vendors to sell e-stamps in response to the massive rush for registering property documents. They have a limit of Rs 10 lakh for selling stamps, but vendors have requested that it be raised to Rs 20 lakh due to high demand. They have petitioned the state government to increase the limit.
Vendors’ licenses extended
Private sellers will be permitted to sell stamps until March 2025. According to a senior government official, the vendors were given temporary licences, which were later extended by two years. The state has nearly 300 private vendors. They are doing brisk business because banks have a daily document franking limit of Rs 10,000.