Curation Team
MYSURU: In a major relief for property owners, authorities appear to have achieved major progress on the issue of e-khatas, with urban local bodies (ULBs) expediting approvals and reducing backlogs.
Responding to a question raised by Chidananda M Gowda in the legislative council last week, minister for municipal administration Rahim Khan revealed that a total of 7,00,899 e-khata applications were received across the state. Of these, 6,53,989 e-khatas have already been issued, while 45,910 applications remain pending. He said several ULBs have achieved zero pendency.
In Mysuru district alone, 14 ULBs received 72,184 applications, of which 62,277 were approved. An additional 3,143 applications were rejected due to various reasons, Khan said.
The e-khata process had faced delays earlier in July due to technical issues, but authorities say most problems have now been resolved. Property owners can currently apply for e-khatas at Karnataka One centres.
Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) commissioner Shaikh Tanveer Asif said efforts have been made to speed up the process within city corporation limits, with a clear goal in place. “Currently, property owners can apply for e-khatas online through Karnataka One centres. However, if applicants enter an incorrect GIS number, their application faces delays. Efforts are being made to resolve the issue,” he said.
Asif said to address public grievances, the corporation will hold grievance redressal meetings every Friday and senior officials will be on hand to tackle problems.
He also said the e-khata drive will play a critical role in enhancing tax compliance. “It is expected to streamline property tax collection. Since property owners are required to submit a photo of their property, anomalies can be detected if there is a mismatch between documents and photos. For instance, if an owner is paying tax for a single-storey house when the property is a duplex, it will come to light,” Asif said.
Despite the progress, some stakeholders argue the system still needs improvement. Former Mysuru mayor M Shivakumar called for a more accessible and technology-driven approach. “In other states, including Bihar, property owners can apply for e-khatas from their residences. The process there began after a scientific survey, including data capture through drones and surveys. However, in Karnataka, property owners are still struggling to obtain e-khatas,” he said.
