Only 5.5% of Bengaluru B Khata Property Owners Apply Under Bhoo Guarantee

The Karnataka government's 'Bhoo Guarantee' scheme, designed to allow B khata property holders across five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority to convert to A khata at reduced rates, has drawn a muted response, with only 5.54 per cent of eligible property owners applying for conversion.

The scheme, which offered a fee concession cutting conversion charges from 5 per cent to 2 per cent of the guidance value, closed on Sunday without any official announcement regarding an extension. Out of 8,49,975 identified B khata properties across Bengaluru, only 47,088 applications had been submitted as of August 14.

According to official data, the state has generated Rs 311.77 crore in revenue from the scheme so far, falling far short of the Rs 10,000 crore revenue projected by civic experts. Although Greater Bengaluru Authority sources reported a last-minute surge that pushed the total application count to around 75,000, that figure still accounts for only about 8.82 per cent of all B khata properties in the city.

The data was shared in the Legislative Council by Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda in response to a question raised by MLC Chidanand M Gowda. The figures revealed that out of the 47,088 applications submitted, 24,965 have been approved, 19,075 remain pending for approval, and 3,048 applications have been rejected.

Among the city corporations, Bengaluru North City Corporation recorded the highest number of submissions with 4,615 applications, generating Rs 84.38 crore. Bengaluru West City Corporation followed closely with 4,550 applications, yielding Rs 84.15 crore. Bengaluru South City Corporation and Bengaluru East City Corporation each generated more than Rs 70 crore in revenue. In contrast, Bengaluru Central City Corporation recorded the lowest turnout, receiving just 54 applications and generating Rs 1.27 crore.

The state government had originally introduced the conversion initiative in 2025 before rebranding it in May as 'Bhoo Guarantee', positioning it as its sixth guarantee scheme to encourage widespread regularisation and boost municipal revenues.

However, property owners pointed out that even with the discount, regularisation fees amounted to lakhs of rupees, creating a financial hurdle. Several owners also noted that they saw little immediate practical benefit in converting to an A khata, leaving the fee concession insufficient to drive broad participation across the city.