Rural properties in state closer to e-khatas as Assembly passes Bill

The Karnataka Assembly on Tuesday passed a Bill promising e-khatas and building plan sanctions to lakhs of countryside properties, with the BJP assuring lawmakers that the proposed law will not favour the realty lobby.

Homes built in rural areas that have come under municipal limits are unable to get e-khatas whereas sites are not getting building plan sanctions on the grounds that they do not comply with town & country planning requirements.

This has handicapped property owners who are unable to get a bank loan or conduct any transaction.

The Karnataka Municipalities (Amendment) Bill will repeal Section 387 which requires approvals by the local planning authority (LPA); instead, approvals by the panchayat or municipality will be enough.

The Bill, piloted by Municipalities Minister N Nagaraj (MTB) and Law Minister JC Madhuswamy, will apply to properties that have come up before August 12, 2021.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai explained how the Bill will help.

“There are areas that come under a planning authority. If a gram panchayat gets added, then the area gets extended. There are several problems in this extended area, where there are plots without any amenities and people are living,” Bommai said.

The chief minister said the government used to write manual khatas before 2006. But this changed post-2006 after the arrival of e-khatas, "whose software requires 100% plan approval".

"But these properties don’t have 100% approval. If we amend the law, then the software can be changed. This is a one-time measure,” he added.

Madhuswamy, who heads a Cabinet sub-committee on e-Swathu and e-Khata issues, said all new layouts above one acre will require town and country planning clearance.

“But for existing village properties that have come under an urban area, if there’s an entry in the panchayat, then approval must be given,” he said.

He explained that the current rules require a property owner to hand over to the municipality the road leading up to one's house. "Approval won't be given to a person who wants to build a house saying the road is 20 ft and not 30 ft," he said.

Deputy Leader of the Opposition UT Khader wondered if the Bill will help developers who formed layouts without amenities, leaving property buyers in the lurch. Madhuswamy, who was seen getting inputs from Urban Development Secretary Ajay Nagabhushan, specified that the Bill will not apply to new layouts.

Former JD(S) minister Sa Ra Mahesh came to the BJP's rescue and said the Bill will help.

"Before 2006, when LPAs came, there was no requirement on providing roads, parks and other amenities in a layout. So, layouts were formed haphazardly. After LPAs came, these layouts did not get approvals. Citizens can't even sell their sites," Mahesh said.

"The government can get Rs 20,000 crore from people who built homes before 2006 without building plan sanctions," he said.