Bengaluru: Hundreds of homeowners in Bengaluru are angry after receiving wrong property tax notices from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). A software mistake in BBMP’s new e-Khata system caused this confusion.
What is e-Khata?
e-Khata is an online system that records property ownership details. It became mandatory from July 1, 2025. Every property owner in Bengaluru must now register through this system.
What went wrong?
- BBMP’s new software tool called Kauvery checks property size data in e-Khata and compares it with another old system (EPID).
- If the system finds a difference in area, it automatically sends a tax notice.
- Many people received notices saying they didn’t include a car parking space in their property details.
- But the BBMP never visited homes or checked any documents before sending the notices.
- The real problem was a technical glitch that sent notices even when the difference was very small — less than 5%.
What are citizens saying?
People are upset, confused, and angry. Most of them say this is harassment by the government.
A resident of Richmond Town said:
“BBMP sent me a notice asking for tax on my car parking space. But they guessed the size without checking anything. Now I have two choices — pay or go through a long legal process.”
People are questioning why common middle-class families are being targeted while big politicians and officers who don’t pay taxes are not touched.
Another resident said:
“Why are we being tortured? What about all the powerful people who don’t pay taxes? They walk free, but we are stuck in court for no mistake.”
What does BBMP say?
BBMP officers say the system sends notices automatically when there is a mismatch.
Munish Moudgil, BBMP’s Special Commissioner (Revenue), explained:
“We only meant to send notices when there is more than 5% difference in property size. But due to a technical error, many notices went to people who are not at fault. We are sorry. People can appeal, and we will fix it quickly.”
He also said that car parking areas are taxable, even if they are not mentioned separately in property documents.
What are people asking for?
- Immediate stop to unfair notices
- Easy and free appeal process
- Action against corrupt BBMP staff
- Clear rules and better communication
- Same rules for rich and poor
Many citizens are now asking Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who also handles Bengaluru development, to step in and solve the issue.
This issue shows how a small technical mistake can create big problems for regular people. While technology is meant to make things easy, it must be fair, transparent, and human-friendly.
Right now, homeowners are asking a simple question:
“Why should we suffer for BBMP’s mistake?”