While Deputy Collector Dr C S Chaudhary, who heads the department, proclaimed that it was for the first time that the State government was executing a unique schememm to clear up the cases pertaining to disputed or pending cases of land and property registration, public plight at his office told a different story.

The less than 10 staffers are finding it difficult to attend to the heavy rush of people, who are thronging the office with disputed cases dating back to 1990 and onwards. While Faruk Chashmawala, a resident of Wadi, pointed out to the slow pace of work, another person, asking anonymity, said stamp papers of less than Rs 10 were not available. Arti Basu (full identity withheld) alleged unscrupulous elements offered her ``speedy clearance of papers'' though she didn't seek it. Another villager from a village near Gotri, too, confided that he got his papers cleared in an hour's time after paying Rs 50 illegally.

When contacted, Dr Chaudhary denied the charges, and said the department had anticipated such a situation and was keeping a strict check on such persons. ``People should avoid shortcuts and instead inform me so that such touts could be booked'', he said.

Department officials, too, complained of staff shortage specially in the wake of the workload and the deadline.

Launched from August 1 last year, the drive has till date generated an additional revenue of Rs 5 crore and settled more than 5,080 cases. The drive will continue till March and aims to settle at least 30,000 more cases.

Dr Chaudhary said that the department had computerised all the registrations and was sending fresh notices to all the persons concerned to get their pending cases pertaining to land, urban or rural, agricultural or commercial or residential or property settled on-the-spot.

Under the drive, officials will visit Wadi and Swad (every Mondays), Savli (Tuesdays), Waghodia (Wednesdays), Vadodara rural (Thursdays), Padra (Fridays) and Danteshwar (Saturdays).