The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) would employ artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver property documents to the doorstep and also to identify illegal constructions.
“Many property owners have built additional floors without a legal sanction and not paying taxes proportionate to the built-up area. We will deploy AI to detect such illegal constructions," announced Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Monday, during a press meet following a meeting with Bengaluru legislators on the BBMP budget 2025-26.
#WATCH | Bengaluru: On BJP's protest over his statement, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar says, "I don't want to comment much on it... On quota, there are several judgments which have come, and after every judgment, amendments have been made to the Constitution; there is nothing… pic.twitter.com/XeWq6UF0Vd
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The Bengaluru development minister informed that property tax of seven lakh properties had not been paid till date. "Of the seven lakh properties, one lakh have been brought under the tax bracket. The new law passed in the assembly last week has empowered the BBMP to attach illegal properties. The law also allows the BBMP to declare even private roads inside the private layouts as public roads,” added Shivakumar.
The minister warned the BBMP officials of suspension if found to be hand in glove with illegal property owners and emphasised that every property needs to pay the taxes. Shivakumar also informed that some legislators had suggested that the properties be classified as group housing and single housing while issuing approvals to avoid illegalities.
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The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Amendment Bill 2025, passed in the just concluded budget session, empowers the BBMP to manage private streets, enforce penalties and apply property taxes. The zonal commissioners can now intervene when the condition of the private roads worsens and endangers public safety and declare them as public after issuing notices to the landowner. A related bill targets rural asset management and penalizes non-compliance by officials.
'Khata at your doorstep'
The BBMP will launch a door-to-door drive to deliver the khata to property owners at their doorstep from April. "All property documents have been digitised. We will conduct awareness programmes along with the local MLAs in every constituency," added Shivakumar.
