BBMP rolls out faceless e-Khata system to boost transparency, curb middlemen

Any significant delay or rejection will be automatically escalated to an appellate authority, in compliance with Rules 4 and 5 of the BBMP (Property Tax Assessment, Recovery, Management) Rules, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
ALLEN EGENUSE J.

In a bid to bring transparency and efficiency to its e-khata services, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has rolled out a new faceless, online e-khata system. The initiative aims at eliminating the role of middlemen, reduce corruption, and ensure time-bound disposal of khata-related applications across the city.

Modeled around the Income Tax Department’s faceless assessment system, the BBMP’s new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) ensures that applications are randomly assigned to officials through a round-robin system, irrespective of the zone they are deputed to, and applicants will not know which officer is handling their case which eliminates direct contact and any sort of influence.

The system follows a First In, First Out (FIFO) principle, ensuring applications are processed in the order they are received, and the officers give no preferential treatment. Each officer will receive a batch of 50 applications, and new applications will be auto-assigned as the previous ones are processed. Any delay beyond three days will trigger automatic reassignment of the application to another officer using round-robin system.

Further, if officials fail to act on at least one application within 36 hours of login, they will be blocked from receiving new assignments until the Zonal Joint Commissioner grants a special approval. Applications delayed in two consecutive rounds will be reassigned to the special zonal team supervised by Deputy Commissioner, Joint Commissioner, Zonal Commissioner, and the Special Commissioner (revenue.)

Any significant delay or rejection will be automatically escalated to an appellate authority, in compliance with Rules 4 and 5 of the BBMP (Property Tax Assessment, Recovery, Management) Rules, 2024. The Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) will be responsible for communicating such decisions to citizens.

The BBMP officials said the system will be implemented through dedicated software starting immediately, although some operational timelines may be adjusted during the transitional period.