Bengaluru e-khata woes: Initial-based name mismatches, missing co-owner details drag buyers back to BBMP offices

Despite promises of quick e-khata issuance, Bengaluru property owners face challenges, including document mismatches and errors in jointly owned properties

Despite the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike's (BBMP) promise to issue e-khatas within 48 hours, many Bengaluru property owners say they continue to face delays and bureaucratic hurdles that force them to visit government offices, defeating the purpose of the digital, paperless system.

A key issue reported by applicants is the mismatch between full names and initials across documents such as sale deeds, Aadhaar, and passports, a common practice in southern India. This inconsistency often leads to rejections or prolonged delays, they say.

Despite BBMP’s 48-hour e-Khata promise, Bengaluru property owners face delays and must physically visit offices, defeating the purpose of a digital system. (Representational Image) (Pixabay)

Another major challenge arises in the case of jointly owned properties. Applicants say the e-khata is being issued in the name of only one co-owner, usually the one whose Aadhaar was uploaded first, even though others are mentioned in the registered sale deed.

They say that currently, the online system does not allow applicants to correct or update such errors during the application process.

They say the system’s rigid data-matching protocols and software limitations are forcing many to take time off work, queue up at Assistant Revenue Offices, and manually correct issues that should ideally be handled online.

In March, BBMP said that homeowners no longer need to visit the Bengaluru municipal corporation offices to obtain the e-khata, an electronic version of the traditional khata certificate, a digital record that validates the ownership details of a property in Karnataka.

The final e-khata will be issued within two days of the application submission, as per a statement from BBMP Special Commissioner (Revenue) Munish Moudgil. Bengaluru citizens within BBMP limits can now obtain their final e-khata within two days of application submission, he had said in June.

One of the most common problems plaguing applicants is the mismatch between full names and initials across different documents, a common way of writing names in southern India.

For example, a property owner named E.V. Ramasamy, whose name appears as Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy on his Aadhaar but E.V. Ramasamy on his sale deed, was unable to generate an e-khata online. "This is because the BBMP system attempts to validate all fields across documents, including full names, rather than relying on key identifiers like Aadhaar number and OTP-based verification," said Dhananjaya Padmanabhachar, director of the Karnataka Homebuyers Forum.

“This issue affects many owners who use initials in documents like sale deeds or Aadhaar,” he said. “The system should be validating against key fields, not every detail. Due to this, people are being forced to physically visit BBMP offices just to validate or correct names, an option that is not even available on the official website.”

Joint ownership issues persist

Another major bottleneck affects jointly owned properties, where the e-khata system is generating certificates with only one owner's name, typically the person whose Aadhaar was uploaded first, leaving out co-owners despite them being listed in the registered sale deed, point out property owners.

One user, Krishna Thatvam, wrote on the social media platform X, "You kept an error for joint owners applying e-khata online. We’re forced to visit the ATO office to resolve it like it’s the 90s. We have to sacrifice a day off at work! At least give a proper email reply to queries we ask.”

According to BBMP Special Commissioner (Revenue) Munish Moudgil, the e-khata system integrates with the Kaveri software, which houses the official sale deed. If names are listed in a single line in the deed, the system only pulls in one name, The Hindu reported.

However, he said, there is a feature to correct this. “There is an option called ‘Add Owner’ in the BBMP system. Adding names under this option will lead to the generation of e-khata with all names of the property owners,” Moudgil told The Hindu.

Digital doesn't always mean hassle-free, say homeowners

BBMP had promised a hassle-free digital system that would eliminate the need for repeated visits to government offices. But for many, the e-khata process has only become another tech-enabled bottleneck.

“There’s no option to correct or update details while applying for e-khata online,” said Padmanabhachar. “If there’s even a small mismatch in the documents, such as initials versus full names or joint ownership issues, applicants are forced to visit the BBMP office in person. This defeats the very purpose of a digital, citizen-friendly system and adds unnecessary delays and inconvenience for homebuyers.”

With technical inconsistencies, a lack of proactive user support, and non-intuitive workflows, homebuyers say they are stuck between a digital promise and an offline reality. “It's high time the BBMP refined the system to be citizen-centric,” said Padmanabhachar. “Otherwise, all it’s doing is pushing people from one queue to another, this time, just behind a screen.”

A list of queries has been sent to BBMP. The story will be updated once a response is received.

What is an e-khata?

E-khata is an electronic version of the traditional khata certificate, introduced by the BBMP in Bengaluru and other local bodies in October 2024. This digital record is available online, where property owners can apply for, download, and verify their khata without visiting the municipal office.

Since launching the digital khata system in October 2024, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has processed and issued approximately 2.75 lakh e-khatas, according to official data. As of July, BBMP has received over 50,000 applications for new Khatas, and BBMP chief commissioner Maheshwar Rao has instructed officials to process these as a priority, noting that timely approvals could significantly boost property tax revenue.