Bengaluru: The controversial ‘Round Robin’ E-Khata approval system under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) — already under public fire for creating a bureaucratic nightmare for homeowners — has now triggered a rebellion within the civic machinery itself.
Days after The Bengaluru Live’s detailed exposé on how the system left taxpayers helpless and confused, the Greater Bengaluru Authority Officers and Employees Welfare Association has formally demanded its complete withdrawal, warning that it has made governance “unworkable and legally risky.”
Also Read: ‘Round Robin’ Bureaucracy Traps Bengaluru Homeowners in E-Khata Nightmare — Digital Reform Turns into Daily Harassment
Staff Union Letter: “System Must Be Scrapped Immediately”
In a letter dated November 7, 2025, addressed to the Chief Commissioner of GBA, the association stated that the Round Robin model — which randomly assigns E-Khata and new Khata applications to Assistant Revenue Officers (AROs) in different zones — has paralyzed citizen services.
“Citizens approach their local offices for Khata work, but we cannot assist them because files have been diverted to officers elsewhere,” the letter said.
“Public anger and complaints are rising, and employees are being unfairly blamed for delays beyond their control.”
The association demanded that all Khata and E-Khata applications remain within each ARO’s login jurisdiction to ensure accountability and timely service.
“If this system continues, even genuine applicants will remain stuck indefinitely — creating distrust toward both the GBA and the state government,” the letter warned.
‘Unrealistic Deadlines, No Verification Time’
The association further alleged that senior officials are pressuring staff to dispose of applications within a single day, without sufficient time for document checks or field verification.
“Without adequate verification, there’s a risk of approving disputed or illegal properties. Tomorrow, if a court case arises, will the officers who approved it be left to face the consequences alone?” the letter asked.
It suggested at least seven days for document verification and 30 days for mutation (ownership transfer) applications.
Legal Accountability and Safety Concerns
The letter raised serious legal and safety concerns, saying the Round Robin system may expose AROs to litigation.
If disputes arise over wrongly issued E-Khatas, officers could face court summons without departmental backing.
The association urged the Chief Commissioner to issue a formal government circular clarifying accountability and to appoint legal counsels for each revenue division.
It also warned that growing citizen anger over delays could result in law-and-order problems, requesting police protection for revenue staff if confrontations occur.
“We are not against technology,” the association clarified. “But this is technology without logic. Officers are being pushed to clear files they can’t even verify.”
Echoes The Bengaluru Live’s Earlier Investigation
This comes just days after The Bengaluru Live’s November 8 investigation — “‘Round Robin’ Bureaucracy Traps Bengaluru Homeowners in E-Khata Nightmare” — exposed how the system had created “digital harassment” for citizens.
The report revealed how Bengaluru homeowners were unable to sell, register, or transfer properties because their E-Khata files were stuck with officers in distant zones who had no ground-level knowledge of the property.
It also highlighted how Bengaluru’s broader civic collapse — garbage heaps, broken roads, and punitive waste dumping by BSWML — had eroded public faith in governance.
“Imagine owning a house but being unable to sell it because your E-Khata file is stuck 25 km away,” one resident had told The Bengaluru Live. “It’s digital in name, harassment in practice.”
Following the public outcry, Urban Development Department Additional Chief Secretary Tushar Giri Nath, IAS, acknowledged to The Bengaluru Live that the system needed “urgent reform” and promised an automatic approval mechanism to prevent arbitrary delays.
“The powerful get their work done through influence and money, but the common man faces unimaginable harassment,” he said.
Government Faces Pressure from Both Sides
With both citizens and employees now united in opposition, the GBA finds itself under intense scrutiny.
The staff association’s demand for scrapping the system has given official weight to public complaints that The Bengaluru Live has been documenting for weeks.
The association’s letter also proposed that if the Round Robin mechanism is to continue, the GBA must:
- Issue a formal government order fixing responsibility for future disputes;
- Hire legal defence counsels for revenue officers;
- Provide police security to staff in the event of public backlash.
The Bengaluru Live Calls for Judicial Oversight
Given the deepening administrative dysfunction, The Bengaluru Live has urged the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court to take suo motu cognizance of the matter.
“There is no coordination among the five city corporations under GBA. Taxpayers — not defaulters — are being punished through bureaucratic misuse of digital tools,” the publication editorially stated.
Also Read: Penalise Them, Mr. D.K. Shivakumar — But You Have No Legal Right to Dump Garbage at Citizens’ Homes
Also Read: Bengaluru Live Confronts GBA Chief Maheshwar Rao Over E-Commerce-Linked ‘Auto-Dumping’ of Garbage
A Digital Reform That Failed Its People
The E-Khata project was launched to bring transparency and curb corruption. Instead, the Round Robin system has created confusion, destroyed accountability, and alienated both officials and citizens.
The message from Bengaluru’s corridors of power is now loud and clear —
When both the governed and the governing revolt against a system, reform is not optional. It’s overdue.
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