677 get e-khatas in day-long special mela in Byatarayanapura

Bengaluru: A special mela organised by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in Sahakaranagar on Sunday helped 677 property owners in the Byatarayanapura assembly constituency secure their final e-khata documents in a single day.

However, the city’s first-of-its-kind mega e-khata mela was not without glitches. Many residents endured long queues, waiting between four and eight hours, with some leaving empty-handed.

Inaugurating the event alongside Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Revenue Minister and Byatarayanapura MLA Krishna Byre Gowda acknowledged the inconvenience, but stressed the wait is worth since e-khata is important for safeguarding property rights. "This is the first such mega mela in the city, though we have held over 150 local camps," he said.

As crowds continued to pour in well into the afternoon, Gowda announced an extension by a day. "Besides BBMP staff, around 100 volunteers are assisting. Everyone who comes will be attended to. Based on this experience, we will improve the next mela," he promised.

By the end of the day, around 4,000 people had arrived, and 1,679 applications were processed. The BBMP deployed three colour-coded counters, each headed by an assistant revenue officer, with over 100 laptops managing uploads.

Yet reactions remained mixed — some welcomed the long-awaited service, while others expressed frustration.

Srikanth S, a Kengeri resident who owns a site in Byatarayanapura, reached the venue at 9.30 am, but was called after eight hours. "Arrangements are fine, but processing is slow. The BBMP should stagger attendance by giving hourly slots," he suggested.

Another property owner, holding coupon number 746, said that five hours had passed and only 240 numbers were cleared. "Instead of these massive camps, the BBMP should streamline services at their offices," he said.

E-khata secures properties: Minister

Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said that the e-khata system was introduced to curb fake documents and land-grabbing. "Earlier, anyone could forge paper khatas. The land mafia exploited this. E-khatas will protect ownership and end fraudulent transactions," he assured.

Use Jana Sevaka service: DyCM

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that over five lakh final e-khatas had already been issued. "Out of 25 lakh properties in the BBMP limits, citizens can upload documents themselves or call Jana Sevaka for doorstep service," he said.

Door-to-door delivery of draft e-khatas will begin on July 1, and ward-level melas are being planned.