The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) office.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: In a move to decentralise the process of obtaining e-khata, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) plans to involve local entrepreneurs to help upload property records onto its portal, streamlining khata-related applications.
This approach mirrors the Revenue Department’s success in reducing queues for the Record of Rights, Tenancy, and Crops (RTC) across the state. By doing so, the BBMP aims to lessen reliance on assistant revenue offices (AROs) and make the process more accessible to tech-savvy property owners.
BBMP’s Special Commissioner (Revenue) Munish Moudgil shared details with reporters on Friday, noting that the Revenue Department’s initiative to onboard 50,000 local private entrepreneurs (LPEs) had drastically reduced wait time — from three days to just minutes.
“We will adopt a similar approach for the e-khata system. By offering multiple channels for accessing khata, we aim to reduce monopoly and improve accessibility. This will roll out once the system stabilises at the BangaloreOne centres,” he said.
The e-khata system was introduced due to the lack of transparency in the previous system, where manual khatas were subject to full control by the revenue offices.
“Once fully implemented, the new system will automate property mutations based on Aadhaar data. Also, blockchain technology will ensure secure tracking of each khata with five digital trails to detect any fraudulent activities,” Moudgil explained.
Moudgil also urged property owners not to visit the BBMP’s revenue offices for e-khata unless absolutely necessary. “We have already uploaded 22 lakh draft e-khatas online. The system is faceless and contactless, requiring property owners to upload their Aadhaar, property tax number, registered deed, and Bescom account number. This can be done independently or at BangaloreOne centres,” he said.
Moudgil said, “Do not visit the BBMP’s office.”
Of the 22 lakh properties, around 6 lakh have a ‘B’ khata. Moudgil confirmed that both ‘A’ and ‘B’ khata draft e-khatas are available online.
“When the final e-khata is issued, it will reflect the digital version of the manually issued khata. We are also creating a system for properties not yet in the property tax net, with an estimated 5 lakh such properties,” he added.
BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said while the property tax payment system has been digitised, the khata issuance process remained manual, with many gaps.
“We are receiving complaints post-launch, but there is no need to panic. We are addressing all concerns and will prioritise properties requiring registration or mortgages. Other issues can wait,” he assured.