For many Bengaluru residents, obtaining an e-khata has become a months-long ordeal as applications are rejected without explanation, pending for months, and stuck due to missing Assistant Revenue Officers (ARO) signatures or technical mismatches in the city’s new property registration software.
One major issue, officials pointed out, is that many applications do not have the mandatory signatures of AROs. “Without ARO’s signature, who is the concerned authority, an application cannot proceed for approval,” an official from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) said, adding that delays and absences of AROs at the ward level have created a cascade of pending cases.
“Even if everything else is correct, without the ARO signature the application remains on hold, and this can be only checked manually. This, apart from other issues, is the main cause that is affecting hundreds of applications across multiple wards,” an official said.
Compounding the issue is the software itself, which does not indicate why an application has been rejected. “Applications can be refused only on three grounds — if the land belongs to the government, if there is a pending court case, or if a fraudulent transaction is involved. However, the system does not flag which of these grounds, if any, caused the rejection. Officials are therefore forced to manually cross-check each rejected application, slowing down the process and increasing the backlog,” the official further explained.
The shortage of IT staff within the GBA further worsens the problem. “Revenue teams encounter errors related to data mismatches, signature verification, or fee payment entries, but with limited technical support, these cannot be resolved quickly. We have the tools, but not enough IT personnel to troubleshoot or guide staff through the complex workflows,” the official added.
Data points at problem with software
Data accessed by The Hindu from one of GBA’s five corporations, the North Corporation, shows the scale of the problem. Officials say the pattern is similar across the city.
In North Corporation, nearly 22% of all book-khata applications, more than 3,600 out of 16,931, are either rejected or still pending. The trend worsens in the new-khata category, where over 78% of applications — 5,367 out of 6,826 — are stuck, either rejected or pending, since September 10. In several wards, pendency runs into hundreds, with Attur (438 pending), Thanisandra (410), and Jakkur (376) showing the highest backlogs.
The contrast becomes sharper when compared with correction-khata applications, which use an older, stable workflow, according to officials. In this category, only 1.5% are pending, and the rejection rate remains at around 10%, showing that the problem, to a larger extent, lies in the new software modules and not in the khata system as a whole. “Correction khatas are moving smoothly because the older module is intact. All the confusion is in new khatas and e-khatas,” an official said.
Delays affecting buyers, builders
The delays in e-khata and new khata approvals are also affecting property transactions across the city. Many buyers and builders cannot complete the transfer of properties until the e-khata is issued, as it is a mandatory document for registration and legal ownership. In wards with high pendency, such as Thanisandra and Jakkur, developers report that sales are being stalled and builders are unable to receive full payments tied to property registration.
Published – November 30, 2025 05:30 pm IST
