Bengaluru: In a move that they hope will help citizens to get khatas without encumbrance, the BBMP will hold a ‘khata jatha’ in Mahadevapura on Saturday. The moot question, however, remains -- will the drive will be successful with a large number of property owners not having the required documents, particularly those living in apartment complexes? Some of these residents have not even got occupancy certificates from their builders!
With the BBMP only looking at issuing khatas for properties which are relatively new and the fate of Akrama-Sakrama hanging in the balance, those hoping to obtain an ‘A’ khata for properties with ‘B’ khata may not benefit from the jatha.
Ask DC (Revenue) M. Venkatachalapathy the purpose of the drive, and he says the BBMP will focus on buildings that were constructed in the last five years and if property owners do not have all the documents yet, genuine cases will have nothing to fear.
“Those who do not have occupancy certificates can submit the title deed or ‘tax paid’ receipt and still obtain khata. There may be confusion in some cases when the builders show ‘super built up’ areas, including passage areas or ‘super built up’, plus common areas, in the sale deed. Citizens have to remember that in such cases, the common area too will be considered part of the property and charged accordingly,” he said.
Mr Venkatachalapathy added that owners of DC-converted properties in new areas will have to shell out Rs 250 per sq.m to obtain the khata, while owners in old core areas will have to pay Rs 200 per sq.m. “We aim to collect around Rs 30 crore from the drive in this zone alone,” he added. However, he maintained that those applying for ‘A’ khata will not be given khatas and only people applying for new khatas will be helped.
Commenting on the criterion to obtain a khatha, BBMP commissioner G. Kumar Naik said the aim of the ‘jatha’ was to clear confusion among citizens. “Not only will the officials issue khata on the spot, they will also disseminate information about who can apply, what are the conditions to meet eligibility and what documents are needed. The ‘jatha’ will provide greater clarity on the status of a property,” he said.
“We aim to clear ambiguity on land details and help citizens identify spots which are not legal,” Mr Naik added.
Panchayat khata
Property owners whose plots or buildings have undergone various conversions need not worry about possessing BBMP khata, suggested Mr Naik. He said that panchayat khata was equivalent to BBMP khata and such owners need not worry.
BBMP’s bid to rake in some moolah
The cash-strapped BBMP has been making all-out efforts to rake in moolah and to tide over the financial crisis by planning to bring super built-up areas under the tax net. Hitherto, property owners were paying property tax for the carpet area under Self Assessment Scheme (SAS).
Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) M. Venkatachalapathy, told Deccan Chronicle that apartment dwellers should have to pay property tax on the basis of super built-up area, which includes common areas like corridor, swimming pool and staircase.
“We are still in the nascent stage and aiming at an increase of 10 per cent in the property tax collection. However, the process is yet to begin and it would be mostly applicable for the new buildings or fairly new buildings which have come up about five years ago,” he said.
After cracking the whip against the high- value properties and defaulters, the BBMP is eyeing unassessed common areas of property. Even walkways, children’s play areas, swimming, gym and gardens were not taxed.
All tax inspectors and revenue inspectors in each ward have been asked to survey the apartment complexes and check on the common areas to be brought under the tax net. The exercise has already begun in Mahadevapura and Bommanahalli zones. Fresh demand notices will be issued, including the common areas.
However, the tax rate for super built-up area will be less than the carport area, said Mr. Venkatachalapathy. The revenue authorities will meet (before implementing) to clear the ambiguities, he concluded.
