Chain of Ownership - A Solution to Guide Reduce Land Forgery through a Transparent Land Ownership Portal

Abstract

Sri Lanka is a nation fighting with corruption and fraud, suffering from no viable solution to eliminate land fraud. It has been a longstanding barrier for land utilization, especially after the 30-year post-war situation. There have been continuous delays and access difficulties for lengthy searches regarding the land folios from the land registry. There are acres of lands that are un-utilized and under-utilized, which could otherwise generate capital income for the country. The increasing land fraud has impacted not only the country’s revenue but also the lives of victims who have been unable to prove the ownership of their lands. This has become a serious concern across the globe. Although the United Nations (UN) has funded in projects across multiple countries, among which Sri Lanka was also one of them, according to the reports submitted to the UN, the performance has been unsatisfactory. The Chain of Ownership is a solution to reduce land forgery prevailing within the country by presenting a transparent land ownership portal; taking the citizen’s privacy in concern and designing a solution for the outstanding problem. The solution will ensure seamless and convenient access to land information to expedite and efficiently help proceed with land transfers and registrations involving the necessary stakeholders during the process. Further, all documents are guaranteed to be maintained as softcopies regardless of being obsolete and will secure against each land parcel, as a historical record. The solution also has the potential to elevate Sri Lanka’s position in the ‘Doing Business’ indicator measured by the UN, upon improving access and transparency over the land registration information and the trust of the general public through this portal.