BENGALURU: The high khata transfer fee set by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has faced criticism from property owners in its developed layouts.
Property owners express willingness to pay a transfer fee but dispute the significant increase introduced by the BDA. They assert that the hike is not justified and imposes an undue financial strain on individuals updating property ownership records without any meaningful additional service or benefit.
A common complaint is that the BDA charges the same fee for transferring khata to a dependent’s name after the original owner’s death as it does for standard sale transactions. Owners have no issue with higher fees for property sales, but insist that treating legal heirs similarly is both harsh and insensitive given the circumstances.
“We approached the BDA for a khata transfer to our names. The property, a 30×40 site, was in my late mother K. Devamma’s name. We were informed the khata transfer fee is `4,000, while the BBMP only charges `500 for the same service. I don’t understand why BDA demands `4,000,” stated site owner Santosh Patil.
The BDA raised khata transfer fees in October 2020, increasing the fee for a 30×40 site from `2,000 to `4,000, a 20×30 site from `500 to `1,000, a 40×60 site from `5,000 to `10,000, and a 50×80 site from `10,000 to `20,000.
Property owners are questioning the rationale behind tying khata transfer fees to property dimensions, arguing that changing ownership records is a standard process regardless of property size.
The BDA’s exorbitant fee for transferring khata to dependants’ names is an unreasonable financial burden—Santosh Patil, Site Owner
Additionally, property owners highlight that while the BBMP has streamlined its khata transfer process online, the BDA relies heavily on manual procedures. “Most applications must include hard copies of uploaded documents, or else they are rejected,” noted another site owner.
Residents believe that the BDA should have established a separate fee category for transfers involving legal heirs rather than equating them with property sales. “We have sent letters to BDA officials requesting a review of the fee increase, as it significantly impacts dependants,” said Ashok M, the forum’s General Secretary. He added that officials promised to address the issue, but no action has been taken to date.
