Tura, September 24: The Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) has come under criticism over an alleged compulsory registration fee of ₹1,000 on its newly launched Land Revenue Management Portal.
Concerns have been raised that landholders must pay the registration charge before they can use the online platform to renew pattas or pay land revenue.
Those opposing the fee questioned why citizens should be required to pay an additional amount merely to access a government portal for settling their statutory dues.
They pointed out that registration on most government platforms—including those used for paying electricity bills, taxes and other public dues—is provided free of charge to encourage digital adoption and improve compliance.
Critics said the ₹1,000 charge could disproportionately affect small farmers, widows, low-income landholders and small traders who may already be struggling to pay their annual patta renewal fees and land revenue.
They argued that the purpose of introducing an online system should be to reduce queues, eliminate dependence on middlemen, improve transparency and make revenue payments more convenient.
Imposing a high registration fee could instead discourage people from using the platform and push them back towards manual payment systems, they claimed.
Questions have also been raised about the official basis for the fee, including whether it was approved through an Executive Committee order, notification or Gazette publication.
The Council has also been asked to disclose details of the agency that developed the portal, clarify how the registration fee will be utilised and explain whether any part of it will be paid to a private service provider.
Critics further questioned why public consultation was allegedly not conducted before imposing the charge on tribal landholders.
They maintained that while a nominal transaction or convenience fee might be acceptable, a flat registration charge of ₹1,000 was excessive and could penalise those seeking to comply with the digital payment system.
The GHADC Chief Executive Member and the Secretary of Land and Revenue have been urged to intervene and make registration on the portal free for the general public.
There have also been demands that amounts already collected as registration fees be refunded or adjusted against the land revenue payable by affected users.
Those opposing the fee warned that if it is not withdrawn, they may seek information through the Right to Information Act, submit grievances to the state government and approach other appropriate forums.
The GHADC had not issued a response to the concerns at the time of this report.
