Mangaluru: E-Khata requirement hits development projects

Team Udayavani, Dec 15, 2024, 5:34 PM IST

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru City Corporation has urged the state government to exempt lands surrendered for development projects, such as road widening and underground drainage installation, from land conversion, single-site layout plans, and property card requirements for E-Khata registration.

The corporation has been executing various development works like road expansion and drainage system installation within its jurisdiction. For these projects, private landowners are required to surrender land to the corporation in exchange for Development Rights Certificates (DRC/TDR). However, many of these surrendered lands have not undergone land conversion or layout plan approval, making E-Khata registration possible only for privately owned lands with approved layouts.

No E-Khata, No Transfer

Currently, before issuing DRC/TDR to private landowners, the surrendered land must be registered in the corporation’s name. This process mandates an E-Khata, and without it, the transfer cannot proceed. This issue has caused delays in obtaining private lands required for development projects.

Hurdle for Development

To obtain an E-Khata, land conversion and layout approval are mandatory. However, landowners often hesitate to comply with these processes, even after being convinced about the need for road or drainage work. The mandatory requirement of land conversion and layout approval for even road expansion lands has caused many landowners to withhold their property, putting several development projects at risk of suspension.

E-Khata Complications in DRC Sales

For road widening and similar projects, landowners who have received DRC certificates must register the DRCs in the name of new buyers at the sub-registrar’s office. This registration also requires an E-Khata. However, as per regulations, E-Khata cannot be issued in the name of the DRC buyer, leading to complications in DRC sales. There is growing demand to exempt DRC transactions from the E-Khata requirement.

Government Attention Sought

To address these issues, the corporation has requested the government to allow E-Khata registration for lands surrendered specifically for development projects without requiring land conversion or layout plan approval. The corporation has proposed that surveyors prepare maps of such lands for registration at the sub-registrar’s office solely for this purpose.

“The government must exempt surrendered lands for development projects from land conversion and layout approval requirements to facilitate E-Khata registration,” said Premananda Shetty, Chief Whip, Mangaluru City Corporation.

Translated from Kannada article by Dinesh Ira