Karnataka Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwar Khandre has directed officials to issue e-Swathu property records for eligible plots and houses in revenue-land layouts after confirming that they do not include B-kharab, forest or government land. The instruction comes as around 1.30 lakh e-Swathu applications submitted in Bengaluru city district panchayat limits remain pending for technical reasons.
Khandre issued the direction during a meeting with officials on Wednesday while reviewing the issuance of e-Swathu records for properties located in residential layouts developed on revenue land under gram panchayat jurisdictions. The review covered both converted and non-converted revenue land, according to a report by Prajavani.
The minister said property owners with registered sale deeds should be considered for e-Swathu records after the required land-status checks. Officials have been asked to verify that the properties do not contain B-kharab land, forest land or government land before issuing the records.
B-kharab generally refers to land recorded as unsuitable for cultivation or reserved for specific public purposes in land records. The direction means that applications cannot be processed solely on the basis of a registered sale deed if the underlying property is found to overlap with restricted or government land. The source report did not provide a separate number for applications affected by such land classifications.
Khandre also instructed officials to hold a meeting with the Revenue Department to address cases involving B-kharab land. The coordination is intended to resolve the administrative issues surrounding properties where the land classification creates an obstacle to issuing e-Swathu documentation.
The pending applications in Bengaluru city district panchayat limits are described as being held up because of technical reasons. The minister directed officials to take action according to the rules for their speedy disposal. The report did not specify the nature of the technical problems, the age of the pending applications or a deadline for completing the exercise.
E-Swathu is the property documentation system used in gram panchayat areas. For homeowners and plot owners, the record is an important administrative document for establishing property details and accessing related civic and transaction services. However, the minister’s instructions indicate that the issuance process must also account for the legal and revenue status of the land beneath the property.
The meeting was attended by Panchayat Raj Department Principal Secretary Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Secretary D. Randeep, Commissioners Fauzia Tarannum B. and Venkataraju, and Chief Executive Officer Rahul Shinde. The department has not announced a separate completion date for the pending Bengaluru applications.
