In a renewed push to streamline property documentation, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has launched an online initiative to onboard youth and local entrepreneurs for providing doorstep e-khata services. This move comes roughly a year after a similar pilot project by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) failed to deliver tangible results.
A Second Attempt at Citizen-Centric Reform
The new programme is being promoted as a key citizen-centric reform, directly aligned with Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's vision to reduce delays and confusion in property-related paperwork. For a fixed fee of Rs 45 per application, registered individuals will assist citizens with submitting e-khata applications, requesting new khatas, and making corrections through official digital platforms.
To attract participants, the GBA has released tutorial videos, positioning this not just as a public service but also as an employment-linked service model. The authority hopes that tech-savvy young people and local entrepreneurs will bridge the gap between citizens and the digital governance system.
Echoes of a Failed BBMP Pilot
This initiative mirrors an earlier attempt by the BBMP, which launched a neighbourhood e-Khata pilot on February 7, 2023. That model aimed to decentralise services by setting up nearly 1,000 neighbourhood kiosks where volunteers would help residents upload documents using official systems.
At the time, then Special Commissioner (Revenue) Munish Moudgil had explained that volunteers would be given BBMP login credentials but had to operate strictly through official servers. "Anyone can volunteer. They will be given a BBMP login ID, but must strictly use BBMP servers," Moudgil had stated.
Why the First Model Stumbled
Despite the initial plan, the BBMP pilot faltered due to low participation and significant operational issues. A senior GBA revenue official, reflecting on the previous attempt, revealed that only a few volunteers enrolled, and even fewer could deliver the service effectively.
"People stepped in, but they were not able to do justice to the work, and it became complicated to fix the errors they caused," the official said. This experience has cast a shadow of uncertainty over the success of the revived model launched by the GBA.
The core challenge remains: can a structured, fee-based model with proper training overcome the hurdles of volunteer-based systems? The GBA's current drive puts a formal framework and a nominal charge in place, hoping this will ensure accountability and quality of service, which were missing in the earlier, free volunteer-led pilot.
