New regulations for A and B khatas in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: In a bid to “help” the owners of more than six lakh B-khata properties in Bengaluru, the Cabinet on Thursday approved regulations for issuing A and B khatas in the newly formed Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) area.

The move intends to regulate and control constructions in sites having a B-khata, besides bringing them under the tax net. 

Currently, B-khata properties remain outside the purview of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961. As a result, these sites remain unregulated and have resulted in gross violations, leading to unsafe buildings.

It has been proposed to provide A-khata for buildings already constructed on unauthorised layout either without any khata or having a B-khata as per section 17 of the KTCP Act, 1961, provided they comply with certain conditions.

The cut-off date is September 30, 2024, for B-khata lands on which constructions have already taken place, whether multi-storied or single houses.

This is because the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, prohibits issuing B-khata for unauthorised properties created after September 30, 2024.

Speaking to reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said: “To bring discipline and prevent the problem faced by Bengaluru people, we are controlling A and B khatas in the GBA area. “As a result, the government has decided to extend the legal purview of the B-khata in the city for all purposes of ownership declaration,” he said.

While clarifying that the government is not regularising illegal constructions, Patil said the move will give a sense of ownership to owners of B-khata properties.

It is estimated that around 6 lakh B-khata properties will come under the tax bracket of the Greater Bengaluru Authority/BBMP.

Patil said a detailed order is expected in the coming days from the BBMP in this regard.

To regulate the properties, there should be a public road connecting to the vacant site/plots with buildings and multi-storied buildings.

Thereupon, in case it is on revenue land, the survey number/Hissa survey number needs to be converted under the latest amendments to the Karnataka Land Revenue Act.

It should fall within the approved revised master plan of Bengaluru.

The owners need to secure approvals as a single plot or a layout.

Thereupon, with conversion, A-khata will be issued by the BBMP as per the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act 2024.

In the case of multi-storied buildings, the owners have to secure Occupancy Certificates, after which the property and the building may be issued A-khata by the BBMP.