GBA Receives 60,000 B-Khata Conversion Applications as Rebate Deadline Nears

The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has received 60,000 applications for converting properties from B-Khata to A-Khata, with 13,000 submissions arriving in the last five days before the rebate period ends on August 23.

GBA Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao confirmed the application tally, which represents an estimated revenue generation of ₹402.21 crore for civic bodies. Despite a 60% rebate that lowered conversion charges from 5% to 2% of the local guidance value, only about 10% of property owners have applied out of an estimated total of more than six lakh B-Khata properties in Bengaluru.

Among the city divisions, the Bengaluru North City Corporation registered the highest number of requests, logging 17,460 applications valued at ₹115 crore. The West Corporation followed closely with 17,104 applications worth ₹99.30 crore. In contrast, the Central Corporation, which has comparatively fewer B-Khata properties, logged 591 applications.

The reduced rebate fee has resulted in lower-than-anticipated revenue collections. The North Corporation had originally projected ₹680 crore in its annual budget from the conversion scheme. Civic authorities noted that all corporations will now need to identify alternative revenue sources to bridge the financial gap.

Civic officials attributed the relatively low participation rate to the cost of conversion and citizen hesitations. One corporation commissioner explained that some applicants withdrew after seeing the charges or noticing variations in guidance values within neighbourhoods. Additionally, many property owners who had already constructed houses expressed reluctance, as the conversion process regularises only the land and not the built structure.

Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda had earlier informed the legislature, in response to a question by Thirthahalli MLA Araga Jnanendra, that 47,088 applications were logged as of August 14. Senior GBA officials anticipate that the last-minute surge could push the total volume to 75,000 before the rebate ends. Once the deadline passes, the conversion scheme will remain active, but the fee will revert to 5% of the guidance value.