The Chikkamagaluru administration has temporarily withheld an August 13 circular that excluded properties located on government and forest land from property tax assessment and the e-Swathu 2.0 system, following protests by farmers and residents across the district.
The decision was taken after Sringeri MLA T D Rajegowda persuaded Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwar Khandre to withhold the circular during the minister’s recent visit to the district, according to a report by The Times of India. The move has led protesters to call off an indefinite hunger strike organised under the banner of the Sringeri Kshethra Raitha Okkuta.
Rajegowda said the guideline that had created concern among residents had been put on hold. The circular had raised questions about how properties situated on government and forest land would be treated for property tax purposes and whether they would remain within the scope of e-Swathu 2.0, the property documentation and assessment system used by rural local bodies.
The MLA also sought to counter reports that illegally constructed buildings would not be charged property tax, or that the government would evict farmers and reject applications filed under Revenue Form 50, 53, 57, 94-C and 94-CC. He described those reports as false. The forms cited in the dispute are linked to land regularisation and ownership-related applications in Karnataka, making the circular significant for residents whose property and title claims depend on coordination between revenue, forest and local-government authorities.
Rajegowda said some title deeds issued earlier without following the rules by the previous government had been cancelled. He added that title deeds were being issued legally during the current tenure. He also said the task force committee in the constituency, which had been abolished in 2016-17, had now been reconstituted. According to him, the committee is intended to improve coordination between the forest and revenue departments during the land process.
The MLA said 45% of the joint survey of forest and revenue land had been completed and that the survey would be finished within six months. He said title deeds would then be issued legally. The survey is expected to determine the administrative status of land parcels before further decisions are taken on ownership documentation and related applications.
The dispute also intersects with continuing concern over the Kasturirangan report and its possible implications for residents in the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats region. Rajegowda said he was prepared to resign if the report was implemented against the interests of people in his constituency, and asked protesters not to create panic but to communicate verified information to residents. The administration’s next stated steps are to complete the joint forest-revenue survey within six months and proceed with legally compliant title-deed decisions.
