Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi
Udupi, Feb 11: In a major relief to property owners across coastal Karnataka, the state government has issued orders simplifying single layout plan regulations, paving the way for easier A-khata access, smoother building approvals and hassle-free bank loans for new houses.
The decision is being hailed as a breakthrough for Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts, where fragmented land holdings had made khata approvals far more complex than in other parts of the state. The new order addresses long-pending legal and procedural hurdles that had left thousands of property owners in uncertainty.
Large portions of coastal land have developed in small, fragmented parcels, making it difficult for certain plots to secure single layout plan approval under the Karnataka Town and Country Planning (KTCP) Act, 1961. Without such approval, local bodies were unable to grant building permissions.
In Kundapura Municipality and Byndoor Town Panchayat limits alone, more than 1,100 properties had been marked as unauthorised. Owners faced obstacles in constructing houses, securing loans from nationalised banks and obtaining official khata certificates due to the absence of A-khata status.
To resolve the issue, presidents and members of urban authorities in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada formed a Coastal Urban Development and Town Planning Federation Committee and submitted repeated representations to the government seeking legal simplification. The committee held discussions with commissioners, directors and joint directors of the Urban Development Authority and the Town and Country Planning Department.
Following directions from Udupi district in-charge minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar and Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, the committee also met Speaker U T Khader to explain the issue. MLC Manjunath Bhandary raised the matter during the Belagavi winter session. The federation later met the Urban Development Minister and the Chief Minister, who assured that coastal norms would be simplified.
In December, the government introduced phased relaxations, directing that applicants in rural areas be granted technical approval in one instance, subject to conditions, instead of being made to visit offices repeatedly. Specific road guidelines applicable to coastal and hilly terrain were also notified. With sustained follow-up, the final order simplifying the law has now been issued.
Key provisions and impact
Under the new guidelines, B-khata properties with access to a public road but without land conversion can now undergo conversion under Section 95 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964. If the land falls within a master plan area, district-level approval for conversion will not be required.
Fees prescribed under Section 95(7) must be paid while seeking approval under Section 17 of the KTCP Act, 1961. Property owners can then obtain single layout plan approval and secure A-khata from urban local bodies under Section 16 of the Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964, or Section 117 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1976.
Buildings constructed without licence or without B-khata can also be regularised, provided they have access to a public road or are declared as such by the local body. Land conversion and payment of prescribed fees are mandatory before securing layout approval and A-khata.
Existing buildings may obtain approval under Section 187 of the Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964, Section 300 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, or under KTCP provisions and zoning regulations. If violations are recorded, B-khata may be issued with conditions; if no violations are found, A-khata can be granted.
Vacant converted lands subdivided and purchased through registered deeds before September 10, 2024, and having access to a public road, are eligible for single layout approval under Section 17 of the KTCP Act and A-khata under Section 106 of the Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964, or Section 112 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1976.
The order is expected to directly benefit around 240 already registered B-khata properties across 23 wards of Kundapur Municipality and 11 wards of Byndoor Town Panchayat, which were earlier in a state of uncertainty. With proper documentation, these properties can now be brought within the legal framework and granted A-khata status.
Vinod Crasta, president of the Kundapura Urban Planning Federation, said the Siddaramaiah-led government had removed major hurdles in obtaining B-khata and simplified single layout plan regulations. “This decision has brought much-needed relief to people within urban local body limits in the coastal districts,” he said.