The ambitious drive to regularise more than 97 lakh rural properties in Karnataka has hit a significant roadblock. A server crash lasting over four days, combined with technical issues in the newly launched e-Swathu software, has severely slowed the process, causing frustration among applicants and officials alike.
Technical Troubles and Official Assurances
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the e-Swathu portal on December 1 with the aim of streamlining the regularisation of rural properties. However, the rollout has been anything but smooth. The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department confirmed that a server crash, linked to a technical failure at an NIC server in Gujarat, crippled the system for more than four days.
RDPR Minister Priyank Kharge acknowledged that the department had anticipated initial challenges. "We had informed the public not to rush to obtain e-Swathu during the first few weeks, as the scheme will be in place for a long period," he stated. A dedicated helpline (9483476000) was established to assist the public, which has received nearly 39,650 calls so far.
Of these calls, about 20,000 were simply enquiries about the system's functionality, while 19,650 calls reported specific problems like application duplication, cancellations, and non-reflection of village names. Minister Kharge assured that an internal committee is addressing these glitches and that all issues, including the server crash, have now been resolved. Department officials have promised full stability by the second week of January.
Ground Realities: Confusion and Procedural Hurdles
Despite the official assurances, applicants on the ground continue to face difficulties. Varun Kumar, who tried to apply for his cousin's property at a gram panchayat near Hesaraghatta, was turned away due to the server issue and told to return in mid-January.
Officials at the gram panchayat level point to additional layers of complexity. Kantharaju B, a Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) in Bengaluru Rural district, highlighted that a lack of awareness about the online process is driving people to physical offices, increasing pressure. "We are guiding them and encouraging them to apply online," he said.
Another PDO revealed a new procedural bottleneck: the requirement for the panchayat president's digital signature. "In many panchayats, presidents are yet to receive their login IDs, which has caused further delays in issuing e-Swathu," the official explained. The response has also been uneven geographically, with a heavy rush in panchayats near Bengaluru and other cities, while remote areas show low uptake.
The Path Forward
Panchayat Raj Commissioner Arundathi Chandrashekar confirmed that the earlier technical problems have been fixed. She admitted that the number of applications is still low and announced plans for a special drive to boost registrations once the system is fully stable.
The success of the e-Swathu scheme is crucial for documenting and regularising rural property ownership across Karnataka. While the government has built a mechanism to tackle technical issues, the initial stumbles highlight the challenges of digitising large-scale public services. All eyes are now on the second week of January to see if the portal can deliver on its promise of a streamlined and hassle-free experience for millions of rural citizens.
