CHIKKAMAGALURU: Many homes in Narasimharajapura taluk lack property documentation and e-Khata, leaving villagers without access to various government benefits.
The taluk includes 14 gram panchayats and one town panchayat. According to revenue records, there are 22,738 residences within the gram panchayat limits, but e-Khata has only been issued for 7,274 of these homes. Under Section 94C of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 11,432 applications have been submitted in rural regions; of these, 1,422 have been approved and 9,044 rejected, with a total of 10,496 cases resolved and 936 still pending, as reported by revenue officials.
Within the town panchayat limits, 443 applications were made under 94C. Of these, 29 were approved, while 414 were rejected. NR Pura tahasildar Noor-Ul-Hooda stated that residents cannot access benefits without the proper documentation for their homes. Certain unlawful constructions may not receive titles; however, she mentioned that members of the ST community may still be able to obtain documents even if their homes are built in forested areas.
According to the 1993 Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act, building permits must be obtained from the local gram panchayat before construction. For areas beyond gram panchayat limits, permission must be acquired under the 1961 Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, ensuring the land is classified as residential or commercial.
For homes situated in forest zones, a No Objection Certificate (NOC) is being issued to provide documentation for residences in other locations. A joint survey of forest and revenue land is currently underway, and once completed, the documentation for many homes in inhabited regions could be resolved, according to a forest officer. Officials noted that the majority of these residences are built on forest and government land, which is a policy matter, leaving officials unable to make unilateral decisions in this regard.
