At a recent event, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar introduced the 'Nanna Swathu' program aimed at digitally transforming property documents. This initiative involves manual property measurement to ensure accurate tax payments and minimize underreporting. 'Nanna Swathu' complements the existing Urban Property Ownership Records program but adds a comprehensive property survey and digitalization, with guidelines for tax payment. Expected to triple revenue collection for Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, the government also plans to overhaul the building plan approval process, establish non-political committees for park and playground oversight, and launch the "Sahayahastha" website to address public concerns at the ward level. These initiatives promote transparency, tax efficiency, and improved urban development in Bengaluru.
In a recent announcement, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has quashed any immediate plans to increase property taxes in Bengaluru. Instead, the government is preparing to launch a new initiative named 'Nanna Swathu' (My Property) focused on the digital transformation of property documents.
Under the 'Nanna Swathu' program, government officials will manually measure properties to ensure that property owners are accurately paying taxes or not underreporting their property sizes within the self-assessment scheme. Detailed property information will be made available online, minimizing the potential for misrepresentations.
While 'Nanna Swathu' shares similarities with the existing Urban Property Ownership Records (UPOR) program managed by the revenue department, there are some distinctions. The ‘Nanna Swathu’ program aims to address the pilferage occurring during tax payment by conducting a comprehensive property survey, digitizing records, and providing property owners with instructions for tax payment.
Currently, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) collects approximately Rs 3,000 crore annually. Officials believe this program will propel collections by three-fold.
Additionally, the government plans to revamp the automatic building plan approval scheme, which was initially proposed in 2018. The civic body aims to create non-political committees comprising local residents and BBMP-appointed nodal officers, to oversee the development of parks and playgrounds. These committees will actively monitor and prevent encroachments and may receive corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for park and playground development. The imminent launch of the "Sahayahastha" website, which aims to address ward-level issues raised by the public was also announced.
With these initiatives, the government is taking significant steps towards streamlining property tax collection, enhancing transparency in property records, and improving the development and maintenance of parks and playgrounds in Bengaluru.
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