BENGALURU: As the debate continues over B and A Khata, the State Government is planning to introduce digital records for property owners in Bengaluru. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said, “We are working on a plan to provide digital records to residents in the city. In fact, we want to make this process transparent in such a way that digital records are provided to every property owner free of cost. This is aimed to ensure transparency and no one can tamper with the records and access them at any given time.”
The statement assumed significance as the State government is still mulling issuing A Khata to B Khata owners by regularising their property. However, this proposal is still on paper without any headway. Meanwhile, the BBMP is identifying properties that have illegally procured A Khata even though it originally belonged to B Khata.
During the citizens’ meeting on Saturday, DK Shivakumar said, “Let me clarify that khata has no legal significance and is merely a receipt for tax payment. Hence, to streamline the process, we want to digitise the entire property system. For this, we need to digitise the property records to ensure transparency. If this cannot be done in a digital city like Bengaluru then it cannot be done anywhere else.”
Drawing inspiration from the success of the digital pahanis implemented in the Bhoomi scheme, Shivakumar acknowledged that this process would require time and that the government is currently working on a blueprint for implementation.
He said, one of the motivations behind digitising property records is to curb fraudulent practices. Currently under the Self-assessment scheme, many were cheating the BBMP by providing the wrong data.
“If someone has built a property in 2,000 square feet, he is declaring the built-up area as just 500 square feet so that he can evade tax. Hence, we are planning to come up with digitisation of all the properties so that this can be curbed. Unfortunately, today we have a situation where an honest taxpaying citizen has to face numerous problems with the municipality, but those who don’t pay taxes are roaming free. I hope that digitisation will definitely put brakes on it”, he added.
Additionally, the government plans to issue B Khata to all those layouts coming outside the purview of BBMP limits. Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh said that he has submitted a comprehensive report to the government, outlining the proposal to grant B Khata status to such layouts.
“The primary objective behind this initiative is to enhance tax collection, with a potential revenue projection of Rs 2,000 crore. Currently, the urban development department has invested significant funds in providing utilities and infrastructure in city municipal councils and town municipal councils.
However, the tax collection from these areas has not been proportionate to the expenditure incurred. While plots in land conversion areas within BBMP limits are accorded A Khata, homes constructed in revenue sites outside BBMP limits are designated as B Khata properties.
A proposal has been made to impose a betterment fee and grant B Khata to individuals who have constructed houses in revenue layouts situated beyond BBMP limits. The issuance of B Khata would not only bridge the gap but also enable plot owners to apply for bank loans against their properties”, Suresh said.
Source: realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/
