The rampant misuse of online no objection certificates (NOCs) issued by the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) has emerged as a major driver of illegal plotting across Gurugram’s Sohna, Pataudi and Farrukhnagar and Nuh’s Tauru belt, prompting the department to mandate Aadhaar-based verification before an NOC can be issued.According to the department, it is working to make NOC verification similar to change of land use (CLU) verification by linking it to Aadhaar-based OTPs.Until now, an applicant seeking to sell or transfer agricultural land measuring below one acre only had to upload a set of documents, including a self-attested affidavit, on the DTCP’s online portal to secure an NOC, without any physical or biometric verification of the seller’s identity.Officials say the loophole has been widely exploited by illegal colonisers, who have been procuring fake NOCs in the names of unsuspecting landowners and using them to fraudulently sell off small parcels, often without the actual owners’ knowledge. This has triggered disputes long after the plots have changed hands.Under Section 7A of the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act, 1975, no registering officer can register the sale or lease of agricultural land measuring below one acre in a notified urban area without a DTCP-issued NOC certifying that the transfer does not violate the Act.The provision was meant to act as a check against unauthorised colonisation, but officials admit the absence of identity verification at the NOC stage had turned it into an entry point for fraud rather than a safeguard.“We have been receiving complaints of fake NOCs being generated and used to dupe unsuspecting buyers into purchasing plots on agricultural land. While the colonisers walk away with the money, it is the landowners and plot buyers who are left fighting litigation for years,” a senior DTCP official said.Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Vipul Goel said the Revenue Department was taking newer steps every day to ensure transparency in registration and revenue processes.“Special verification checks are being introduced, and a coordinated effort between the Town and Country Planning Department and revenue authorities is required to verify NOCs at the source. Local tehsil-level officials have often flagged the rampant issuance of NOCs by the Town and Country Planning Department, which hints at illegal plotting on the ground. A proper check process at this stage will ensure much better accountability and protect genuine landowners and buyers,” Goel said.The menace has come at a heavy cost to the state exchequer. A survey conducted roughly two years ago had pegged the annual loss to stamp duty collection at a minimum of 30% in the then-emerging illegal colonisation hotspots of Sohna, Tauru, Pataudi and Farrukhnagar, officials said. The revenue was bypassed through unregistered or fraudulently registered land deals.Enforcement records show the department has, in recent years, booked FIRs against dozens of landowners and property agents across these belts for carving out illegal colonies on agricultural land, with Sohna, Pataudi and Farrukhnagar consistently figuring among the worst-hit zones.