Rs 15,000 crore 'extortion' under the guise of Khata conversion in Bengaluru, alleges Kumaraswamy

Mandya (Karnataka), Oct 16 (PTI) Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday accused the Karnataka government of "looting" Bengaluru residents, as he alleged that under the pretext of 'B' khata to 'A' khata conversion, Rs 15,000 crore was being 'extorted'.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday had launched a new scheme that allows 'B' khata properties in Bengaluru to obtain an 'A' khata by paying 5 percent of the property's guidance value, which is expected to benefit over 7.5 lakh properties and generate substantial revenue for the government.

The government has advertised this move as the "Deepavali gift" to Bengaluru citizens.

Khata is an official document in Karnataka that records a property's tax account with the local municipality or corporation A-khata is issued to genuine properties approved by government planning bodies such as the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), whereas B-khata refers to those without formal government approval.

"People thought a Deepavali gift would bring them real relief. Seeing the big advertisements, even I believed. But in reality, it has turned out to be a betrayal of the people in the name of Deepavali," Kumaraswamy was quoted as saying by his office in a release.

Bengaluru residents are being "gifted" a shock instead, the JD(S) leader said, adding, "to convert from B-Khata to A-Khata, people are required to pay an application fee of Rs 500." "In the name of this fee alone, the government is extorting hundreds of crores. For a 30x40 plot, they are charging between Rs 4 to 8 lakh. Earlier, residents had to pay only Rs 10,000- Rs 13,000. Now, they are being forced to pay in lakhs. Through this A-Khata scam, the state government is looting Rs 15,000 crore." "Is this what it means to improve the lives of the people," he asked, and said, "since this government came to power, it has been indulging in extortion from citizens. Its only focus is on making money at every opportunity." Responding to Kumaraswamy's allegations, Shivakumar said, "Good for him (Kumaraswamy), let him deploy his investigation team to check." PTI KSU SA