A Patwari working at his rented office in Chakwal. — Dawn/File
GUJRAT: The centuries-old Patwar system has, once again, been revived by the PTI government in Punjab through posting of land revenue officials at the recently launched the Dehi Marakaz-i-Maal (rural revenue centres), also called Satellite Arazi Record Centres.
Earlier, the PML N government had gradually replaced the Patwar system with at least 144 Arazi Record Centres (ARCs) and computerisation of land record in the province during its 10 years tenure (2008-2018). These ARCs had improved the service delivery, removed the intervention of Patwaris and controlled corruption in the revenue department.
Though the Punjab Land Record Authority (PLRA) had devised a plan to establish the ARCs at the Qanungoi circle level, the establishment of Dehi Marakaz-i-Maal is said to be the brain child of Senior Member Board Of Revenue (SMBR) Babar Hayat Tarrar who envisaged the revival of the Patwar system through these centres in the rural areas.