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Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Bengaluru's e-khata drive exposes Rs 390-crore tax evasion by 5 lakh properties
Bengaluru: The verification process for e-khata submissions in Bengaluru has exposed large-scale property tax evasion, with nearly five lakh properties found to have misreported their details. Many of these properties remained outside the tax radar, either by under-declaring their built-up area or paying residential tax on commercial spaces. As a result, BBMP has already recovered Rs 500 crore in pending dues and expects another Rs 500 crore in additional collections. Launched on Oct 1, 2024, the e-khata system was introduced to curb tax evasion and bring transparency to property records. In just nine months, over 5.5 lakh final e-khatas were issued, while draft e-khatas for 25 lakh properties are now available online. The BBMP made it mandatory for every property under its jurisdiction to obtain an e-khata. Owners applying for one are required to submit documents such as Aadhaar number, sale deed, property tax ID, Bescom number, and a photo of the property. This process is allowing the civic body to verify the actual dimensions and usage of properties and identify discrepancies in earlier self-assessments. Munish Moudgil, special commissioner, revenue, BBMP, said, "We found a large number of owners declared lower dimensions or paid residential taxes for commercial properties. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If you have a mouse, play this game for 1 minute Navy Quest Undo We already recovered Rs 500 crore and expect more as the verification continues." You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru A senior revenue official said, "The new digital system revealed these evasions, particularly in high-value commercial areas such as IT parks and malls. Many properties slipped through the tax net altogether, contributing to a significant loss in civic revenue." Despite having 25 lakh properties listed, BBMP currently collects taxes from only about 20 lakh of them. "In the financial year 2024-25, of about 20.6 lakh property owners under BBMP's ambit, almost 3.5 lakh failed to pay their taxes. This group includes close to 1.7 lakh long-term defaulters and 1.8 lakh, who skipped payments last year. In total, they owe Rs 390 crore," said the official. "So far in 2025-26, BBMP has collected Rs 2,966 crore in property tax, as against a target of Rs 6,256 crore. We believe that the e-khata verification process could contribute an additional Rs 1,000 crore in the coming months by identifying under-reported properties and ensuring their proper tax classification," the official further said.
Hans India
03-07-2025
- Business
- Hans India
E-Khata woes continue: Server glitches, delays affecting property owners
Bengaluru: Despite the government's push to digitise property records and streamline ownership processes, Bengaluru continues to grapple with widespread issues surrounding the implementation of the E-Khata system. Nine months since its rollout on October 1, 2023, the project is plagued with technical problems, lack of documentation, and administrative bottlenecks, leaving thousands of property owners frustrated. In a city with nearly 25 lakh properties under the BBMP limits, only around 5.34 lakh E-Khatas have been officially issued. The system was introduced with the intent to curb real estate fraud, prevent duplicate sales, and provide rightful owners with secure digital property records. However, server outages, incomplete data, and delays in processing have crippled the initiative. While BBMP offices, Bangalore One centres, and E-Khata melas are accepting applications, citizens complain of long wait times, document upload failures, and verification glitches. Even when applications are submitted successfully, errors and lack of rectification options are causing further delays. Nearly 75% of eligible property owners are yet to apply due to these complications. The absence of server reliability has made even basic steps like scanning and uploading documents a challenge. In many cases, mismatch with BBMP records leads to the transfer of applications to Assistant Revenue Officers. However, these officials lack the authority to correct errors, resulting in stagnation at the caseworker level. From July 1, E-Khata has been made mandatory for building plan approvals and commencement certificates (CC) within BBMP limits. Without it, new constructions cannot proceed, and ongoing buildings cannot apply for occupancy certificates (OC). This has impacted construction, property sales, and even access to housing loans, leaving many in limbo. Compounding the issue is the existence of over 5 lakh properties without any khata—many of which continue to be traded at sub-registrar offices. These properties often fall outside the BBMP tax net, undermining municipal revenue. So far, only 24,082 owners have applied for new khatas, with several documents still pending verification. BBMP officials acknowledge the problems. Special Commissioner (Revenue) Munish Moudgil admitted minor errors in the application system and server lags, stating, 'We are working to fix these issues. It may take another month to resolve the delays in issuing new E-Khatas.' As the pressure mounts, property owners are urging BBMP to deploy more staff, improve public awareness, and ensure faster resolution to prevent disruption in property-related transactions across the city.
New Indian Express
02-07-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
5 lakh property owners to get BBMP notices for ‘tax evasion'
BENGALURU: As many property owners in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) have misused the Palike's Self Assessment Scheme (SAS) and deliberately under-valued their additional floors to avoid paying actual taxes, the BBMP has decided to issue notice to owners of such properties. The Palike, through its verification systems, including drone surveys, visit by officials, and other means, has detected such violations in around 5 lakh properties. BBMP Special Commissioner (Revenue) Munish Moudgil confirmed that BBMP has decided to issue notices asking the owners to pay the actual amount. As per senior officials, the notices to property owners for 'under assessing' their properties is an initiative to crack down on such practices and also a warning to owners not to repeat the same. 'The owner's house address, GPS, photo, their registration details, commencement and occupancy certificate was verified by the revenue department which also used drone survey and it was found that around 5 lakh of them have concealed the actual data, declared only partial details and have been paying less taxes,' said a senior accountant with the BBMP revenue department. The Revenue Officials are yet to divulge details of what action will be taken on such owners and maintained that action will be initiated based on the recommendations of Chief Commissioner and Revenue Commissioner. 'If owners fail to comply with notices, there are chances of a heavy penalty against such owners. The BBMP will start the initiative in full swing by the end of July and August as over 150 revenue staff members are engaged in caste survey on the Schedule Caste population which will end by Mid-July,' said an official. Of these 5 lakh properties, the BBMP has already tabulated 26,000 properties, and it expected to mop up Rs 100 crore from the owners. This apart, the BBMP revenue department will also tighten screws against 3.16 lakh defaulters from whom Rs 714.56 crore is due. 'The BBMP has given enough chances. Last year, the One Time Settlement Scheme with reduced interest on such dues was rolled out and it was extended multiple times, yet many have not utilised it. BBMP will initiate action such as sealing down such properties and also attaching them,' said a senior official.
The Hindu
09-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
E-khata mandatory for building plan approvals from July 1
From July 1, 2025, submitting an e-khata will be mandatory when applying for any building plan approval online, including applications under the Nambike Nakshe scheme. After making e-khata mandatory for property transactions, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has now made the document mandatory for building plan approval as well. The process of sending property documents to the Revenue Department for verification has been discontinued from the same date. The Hindu had reported about the civic body's plans to do so in December, 2024. The civic body, in a release on Monday, said that within BBMP limits, building plan approvals are already being provided online through the EoDB-OBPS (Ease of Doing Business – Online Building Permission System) software. The Revenue Department of the BBMP has implemented the E-Aasthi software, through which E-Khatas are already being issued for properties under its jurisdiction. The data for such properties is available in the E-Aasthi system. 'Steps have been taken to integrate the online building plan approval system (EoDB-OBPS) managed by the Town Planning Department with the E-Property system that issues E-Khatas through the Revenue Department. From July 1, 2025, it will be mandatory to enter the E-Khata / ePID number in the online software and submit the E-Khata when applying for building plan approval. This allows for automated verification of property records within the software itself,' said the release. As a result, manual submission of property documents to the Revenue Department for verification will no longer be required, simplifying the process and ensuring timely delivery of services like building plan approvals, the release added. In addition, for applications under the 'Trust & Verify' model, temporary approvals granted online must be verified and confirmed by the Assistant Director (Town Planning) within the specified timeframe. If no action is taken or no valid reason is given within the timeframe, the system will automatically grant deemed approval. In such cases, the Joint Director (Town Planning) of the respective zone is instructed to report the responsible officers up to the Zonal Commissioner for disciplinary action as per rules, added the release. Meanwhile, Munish Moudgil, Special Commissioner (Revenue), BBMP, said that five lakh citizens have taken the final e-khata.
Time of India
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
In May 2025, Karnataka cricket association's ignored civic officials' warning on illegal advertisements
Bengaluru: In a development that raises serious questions about Karnataka State Cricket Association's (KSCA) compliance and accountability, it has now emerged that BBMP had issued it a formal notice as early as May 13, 2025, warning against the unauthorised installation of LED advertisement boards inside M Chinnaswamy Stadium — nearly three weeks before the tragic RCB victory celebration stampede that killed 11 and injured scores more. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The civic body's notice cited Section 158 of BBMP Act, 2020, and the BBMP Outdoor Signage and Public Messaging Bylaws, 2018, both of which mandate prior written permission from the chief commissioner before displaying any advertisement in the city. The act clearly prohibits commercial advertisements without approval, and such violations are punishable with up to one year imprisonment and fines of up to Rs 2 lakh. "Installation of LED displays without permission is considered unauthorised and a violation of the law. If not removed within seven days, BBMP will take action, and KSCA will be liable to pay removal charges and penalties. A criminal case may also be initiated," said Munish Moudgil, special commissioner (revenue), BBMP. Despite the clear warning, KSCA took no action to remove the illegal LED displays, which were used again during the high-profile RCB event on June 2. The LED boards allegedly contributed to crowd congestion and blocked visibility near key exits, aggravating panic during the stampede, another official said. According to the senior civic official, KSCA was explicitly directed to remove the displays within seven days of receiving the May 13 notice, failing which the civic body would undertake their removal and recover costs along with penalties. The notice also warned of criminal prosecution under Sections 326 and 329 of the BBMP Act. "This was a preventable tragedy," said the BBMP official. "If KSCA had complied with the notice, crowd movement might have been smoother, and we might not be mourning the loss of 11 lives today."
