The BBMP’s determined move to clear encroachments on Bengaluru’s storm water drains has had many residents claiming they did not know that their houses were sitting on raja kaluves (storm water drains). This has raised the million dollar question: (If you haven’t bribed officials) How do you know that the documents shown to you when you buy land or a house are legit? Because, documents can and have been forged.
At present, there is no way for the public to say with certainty that the documents that pertain to their land in Bengaluru are authentic.
Over a year ago, the government of Karnataka had embarked on the Urban Property Ownership Records (UPOR) project to survey the land in urban areas and create a publicly accessible database. Such a database would enable people to verify land records by superimposing maps they were shown with the authentic documents.
However, presently there is no way for people to have this information about Bengaluru, says Rudresh KV, Joint Director of the Survey, Settlement and Land Records Department (SSLRD).
He said that the government’s UPOR project was yet to take off in Bengaluru. Land records are already available for some parts of Mangaluru, Shivamogga, and Mysuru, where private companies are implementing the project for the government.
In Hubballi-Dharwad however, the state government had cancelled the contract with the company carrying the work as the quality was not satisfactory. Similarly, work in Ballari too has been stalled as the company which had been awarded the contract said it could not carry out the work. In both cases, the government will now take it up.
Work on Bengaluru’s land records will begin in the next two months. Rudresh said that the government would contact agencies which could provide it with personnel qualified to handle the survey work.
There’s still no way then, to know for sure, that the site you’re being sold in Bengaluru is 100% legit.