Mysuru: Former Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) mayor Shivakumar alleged that the e-Khata system was non-functional across the state for the past two months, causing widespread hardship to citizens.He pointed out that even in Mysuru city, the home district of chief minister Siddaramaiah, obtaining an e-Khata is almost impossible. Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said the state govt should study the pros and cons before making e-Khata mandatory and implement it in a phased manner. Taking a dig at IT-BT minister Priyank Kharge, he questioned his moral right to comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he himself failed to fix the e-Khata mess. “The state govt’s hurried decision has led to massive confusion. The Kaveri software is not functioning properly. Other states allow citizens to obtain e-Khata from home. In Karnataka, the system is completely mismanaged,” he alleged. Criticising the govt’s handling of technology, Shivakumar said despite Bengaluru’s global reputation in the IT-BT sector, the present administration has pushed systems back by nearly 20 years, forcing people to struggle to even access basic services. He further said before enforcing e-Khata, the govt should conduct a comprehensive, door-to-door survey and complete data collection on all properties. Due to technical glitches, property transactions came to a standstill, pushing citizens to courts and govt offices. “People are unable to resolve the issues through the website and are being exploited by middlemen, demanding money,” he claimed, adding that while other states use artificial intelligence effectively, Karnataka’s implementation was hasty and flawed. Shivakumar alleged the failure of the e-Khata system has caused huge financial losses to both the govt and local bodies. Shivakumar demanded that the mandatory e-Khata rule be withdrawn and the technical lapses rectified within a week. “Otherwise, we will launch protests,” he warned. He added that MCC normally collects around Rs 200 crore in revenue annually, but the present situation has made it difficult for citizens to even pay their property taxes.
