?We?re in 2006 and Mauritius still does not have a land register. Can you believe this?? the Prime minister asked members of the press last Thursday.

His comments came in the aftermath of a ministerial meeting on land management in his office earlier on the same day. Eight senior ministers of the Ramgoolam administration attended this meeting where a technician of the Housing and Lands ministry held a presentation aimed at explaining the importance of having a land register, the functions of such a body and the problems it will solve in the present chaotic state of the state lands and other residential lands.

A land register will keep track of every single piece of residential land in the country as well as all transactions pertaining to them. As at now, all transactions on private lands are registered at the Registrar?s office in Port Louis. The system is far from foolproof given that it is not computerised. The lack of a register - hence an official database where all residential lands are registered - disables further the control of transactions of residential lands.

State lands are in even more disarray than private lands. A senior official at the prime minister?s office (PMO) says that the present situation has made of the ministry of Housing and Lands ?a landmine and the most corrupted ministry ever.? It is little wonder, isn?t it when that particular ministry has the responsibility of managing state lands. ?The problem about state lands is that most people do not know where all of them are. The only people in the know are the ones who have, let?s say, studied the matter. How are you ever going to know what they do about a piece of land if you?re not even aware of its existence?? says a former ?in the know? official. This is the part of the project that PM Ramgoolam wants to advertise. In a statement to the press, Ramgoolam said it was unacceptable that people could take their pick out of State Lands and be allocated them ?after having pressurised the government?. A statement that comes at an opportune moment; The Icac has currently been asked by the PM to inquire about the transfer of a plot of state land by a man who allegedly got the lease through his political connections. Red connections.

As at now, all transactions on private lands are registered at the Registrar?s office in Port-Louis. The system is far from foolproof given that it is not computerised. (...) State lands are in even more disarray than private lands.

More importantly though, once the system is in place, the click of a mouse on a virtual map of Mauritius will visually show you the area under investigation. Click further and you will zoom in on the specific land or house. Another click and all the details of the property including the name of the owner and all transactions past and present will show.

The implementation of such a complex register will take five years, according to official sources.

It seems, however, that the prime minister is in a hurry to have the Register in place. For various reasons, ranging from tax to the fight against corruption to electoral ones. ?Five years is a long time and obviously, we want to be here when the system is up and running?, says a source. And it seems that it will be possible to have the register ready in some 18 months, says a senior minister. ?We will build on the register that we already have - however inadequate?, he adds.

Besides the fight against corruption, the land register will also serve a very down to earth - if not the most important - purpose; it will make it possible for government to have a comprehensive land policy so it can implement the much-opposed National Residential Property Tax. The prime minister mentioned a few months ago that the NRPT has been put on hold because ?the criteria might be unfair to some as we don?t have a land register.?

Whereas many thought that was a way for government to cop out in the face of criticisms surrounding the property tax - and a probable subsequent electoral price to pay - government couldn?t now be any clearer. The determination and the sense of urgency were confirmed on Friday. The matter was discussed at cabinet level, merely a day after the presentation held at the PMO. The cabinet communiqué states:

?In line with Government's aim to set up a modern and effective Land Administration Management System with a national database on the market value of immovable properties used for residential purposes, Cabinet has taken note of developments in the establishment of a national valuation roll of all properties within the boundaries of the Republic of Mauritius, excluding agricultural properties.?

In other words, the cyber island might very well go ?cyber? soon and in more ways than one. Better 2006 than never?