e-Khata Bottlenecks Continue in Bengaluru as Paperwork And Delays Persist

Bengaluru's commitment to developing a fully digital property documentation system is lagging. Property owners report constant delays, inconsistent timelines, and a surprising amount of paperwork in the e-Khata process. The e-Khata was introduced to replace the old manual Khata system under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). This was introduced with the goal of making property registration faster, easier, and corruption-free. However, the reality is far from what was expected.

For many residents, especially those attempting property transfers or new registrations, the experience has been anything but smooth. Applicants say the online option still pushes you towards offline visits repeatedly, including visits to BBMP offices, demands for physical documents, and requests for additional verification that come with no clear agenda or explanation. As a result, this attempt to streamline the process of a couple of weeks stretches it to months. This has created uncertainty for buyers, sellers, and developers alike.

One major issue reported is the lack of uniformity across the BBMP corporation, while some offices process requests within the given timeline, others tend to hold applications for much longer. Often citing "system issues" or pending inspection. Users say the workflow is not transparent after they've done the work on their part, which keeps them unsure and waiting. This inconsistency has led people not to regard this process as reliable, and has eroded their confidence.

Despite the 'e' prefix, there's still a dependency on physical copies of documents, tax receipts, certificates, etc. Users who have experienced inefficiency with the platform took to Reddit and revealed that most of the system remains the same, but with some additional steps on the e-Aasthi platform. This has made the system a digital and offline one, which defeats the purpose of digitisation.

Where homebuyers and real estate developers are concerned, this delayed process is turning costly to them. A pending e-Khata application can stall bank loans, delay approvals, and complicate tax payments. Bengaluru is a fast-developing city, where countless units are dealt with on a daily basis, and multiple projects are announced throughout the year. These inefficiencies in a basic documentation system can slow down the wider real estate ecosystem.

Previously, BBMP had recognised these gaps experienced by the user and assured people of improvement, but these problems are still persistent. Until these changes translate into a consistent user experience, these problems will continue to downgrade the overall user experience.