Enforcement of e-khata system has paralysed property transactions: Former mayor Shivakumar

Mysuru: Describing the Karnataka government’s implementation of the E-Khata system a 'digital disaster’, former mayor Shivakumar alleged that the mandatory enforcement of the flawed software has paralysed property transactions and driven away potential investments away from state.

During a press conference in Mysuru, on Tuesday, Shivakumar gave the government a week’s deadline to address the flaws or enable manual processing of khatas in parallel. "If the confusion is not resolved within a week, we will stage a protest," he said.

Groundwork missing

Shivakumar claimed that for the past two months, it has been impossible to generate E-Khatas across the state. He argued that the government integrated the system with the Kaveri software at sub-registrar offices without conducting necessary groundwork, such as door-to-door survey or drone mapping.

"Without a proper database, they are forcing the public to upload documents on the 'Kanaja' portal, which is riddled with glitches. This has forced the common people to rely on middlemen again," he said.

Impact on poor

Highlighting the humanitarian cost of the technical deadlock, the former mayor said, "Poor people are unable to sell even a 20X30 site to fund medical emergencies or weddings. Property deals are being cancelled, leading to Police complaints and litigation because sellers cannot produce documents”.

Driving jobs away

Turning the heat on IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge, Shivakumar alleged that the government’s failure in digital governance is costing the state dearly.

"While the minister speaks on national politics, his department is in confusion. Major companies like Google Research and Microsoft have shifted their expansion plans to states like Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Karnataka has lost nearly 75,000 potential jobs," he said.

Tumakuru model

Shivakumar pointed at the Tumakuru City Corporation which has passed a resolution, declaring the current software flawed and decided to continue with the old system until the issues are resolved.

"Mysuru should follow suit. The confusion has hit the Mysuru City Corporation's (MCC) revenues, stalling tax collection that just crossed the Rs 200 crore mark," he said.

Former corporators Manjunath, Rangaswamy and Subbaiah were present.