Karnataka Govt Scraps Round Robin System After Public Backlash; GBA to Fast-Track All Pending E-Khata Approvals
Bengaluru: In a major policy reversal that will bring relief to lakhs of property owners, the Karnataka Government has decided to withdraw the controversial Round Robin system introduced for processing A-Khata to E-Khata conversions under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). The decision was taken during a high-level discussion between Urban Development Department Additional Chief Secretary Tushar Giri Nath and Greater Bengaluru Authority Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao.
Speaking exclusively to The Bengaluru Live, Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao confirmed the development and said that an official announcement will be made in the coming days. The Round Robin system—implemented across the five city corporations under GBA (East, West, South, Central & North)—was widely criticised for causing delays, random file movement, lack of accountability, and massive pendency in E-Khata approvals.
The Bengaluru Live had extensively reported on citizen complaints, officers’ concerns and industry feedback about how the Round Robin workflow led to confusion, duplication of queries, missing documents, and inconsistency in approvals.
Sources told The Bengaluru Live that the Urban Development Department acknowledged these issues and agreed that the mechanism had “no administrative value but caused operational chaos”. The withdrawal marks a significant victory for property owners who struggled for months due to unexplained file rejection, repetitive document requests and delays across all GBA zones.
Meanwhile, during a virtual review meeting on Monday, Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao issued strict instructions to all five city corporations to clear pending E-Khata applications on priority, now that Round Robin has been revoked. He directed officials to ensure daily monitoring, transparency and time-bound disposal of: new E-Khata applications; A-Khata to E-Khata conversions; and pending property-tax–related files.
Rao also instructed officials to actively monitor complaints coming to the dedicated E-Khata helpline 94806 83035 and resolve them within the prescribed timeframe. He said rejected applications must be reviewed again, and officers must clearly justify why any application was turned down.
During the meeting, Special Commissioner (Revenue) Munish Moudgil highlighted that the helpline alone receives nearly 1,000 calls per day, and all calls are being tracked to resolve systemic issues. He warned that applications cannot be rejected without valid reasons and said corporation-wise scrutiny reports will soon be prepared.
Corporation chiefs also reported action against defaulters. Moudgil said that GBA has started identifying large property-tax defaulters across the five corporations and is initiating commercial property sealing where dues remain unpaid.
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North City Corporation Commissioner Pommala Sunil Kumar told the meeting that officials who wrongly rejected E-Khata applications have already been issued show-cause notices.
The Chief Commissioner emphasised that disposing of E-Khata applications quickly will significantly increase municipal revenue while reducing citizen harassment.
Today’s decision marks a turning point in the GBA’s administrative reform efforts and signals a more accountable and streamlined property administration system for Bengaluru’s five corporations.
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