KIADB, BDA wary of online system to acquire land

New process checks fraud and is faster; Revenue dept has already implemented it

State government agencies such as the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which courted controversy in the past while acquiring public land, are reluctant to adopt the online land acquisition system that not only prevents fraud but also ensures a speedy process. 

After the Revenue department successfully implemented the online system across the State as a pilot project early this year, the government directed all its departments — especially those which acquire public land for development works — to follow suit and do away with the manual system. 

Besides KIADB and BDA, the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited, Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigama Limited  and Cauvery Neeravari Nigama, which acquire vast tracts of private lands for development projects, have been shying away from adopting the online system to acquire land. Their respective land acquisition officers are said to be strongly opposing the new system, sources said. 

The agencies have chosen not to respond to the repeated reminders sent by the Revenue department in this regard, according to official sources. Under the online system, land is acquired using a new software, ‘Bhoo Swadheena,’ developed by integrating the acquisition process, being followed in the revenue department, with the ‘Bhoomi’ (a computerised land records system). 

From preliminary notification to the final award, all processes get recorded automatically in the Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (RTC). 

Under the manual system, it takes several months, even many years sometimes, to update the RTC after the preliminary notification or final notification is issued. This creates confusion and gives room for illegal sale of the notified land. 

Of late, government agencies have acquired the same piece of land twice, due to the faulty acquisition process. If the online system is implemented in all departments, litigations related to land acquisition would come down substantially, officials contend. 

Although the agencies in question follow their own rules for acquiring land, the software has been designed such that any department can adopt it. All they need to do is to make necessary changes as per their own requirements. 

When contacted, BDA Commissioner T Sham Bhat said the authority would adopt the new system soon. Discussions were being held with the Directorate of Survey Settlement and Land Records, which has developed the online system, to modify the software to BDA’s requirement, he added.