The Tamil Nadu Registration Department has initiated a major digitisation programme to convert decades-old property records into searchable digital databases. The initiative is expected to improve property verification, simplify access to historical documents and strengthen measures against fraudulent transactions. The government has sanctioned the digitisation of around 2.23 crore documents, covering an estimated 11.15 crore pages. The exercise will include historical property records dating back to 1865 and is expected to address gaps left by an earlier digitisation programme. As part of the initiative, approximately 23 lakh pages of older property records will be covered. The department will also digitally record information from nearly 5.69 crore birth and death records. A major component of the project involves recording encumbrance-related details from documents registered between 1865 and 1974. Making these historical records searchable is expected to help property buyers and owners trace ownership histories and identify inconsistencies, duplicate transactions and potentially forged documents. The digitisation programme is expected to cover records maintained across 581 sub-registrar offices in nine zones of Tamil Nadu. After processing and verification, the digitised property records are planned to be migrated to the department's STAR 2.0 digital platform. The entire project is expected to be completed within 14 months. Digitisation is targeted for completion by the 13th month, while the final month will be dedicated to verification and handover. The scale of the exercise will require approximately 1.2 petabytes of digital storage. Data-security measures will also be incorporated, including batch-level audit trails, fingerprint-based authentication and digital signatures. The digitised records will be stored at the state data centre in Perungudi within a secured environment maintained by the relevant government technology agencies. The tender process is scheduled to proceed in September, with bids expected to open on September 15 and close on September 23. The initiative is expected to provide significant benefits to Tamil Nadu's real estate sector. Easier access to historical registration records could help homebuyers and landowners conduct ownership checks more efficiently, while improved digital records could support efforts to prevent property-related fraud and increase transparency in property transactions.