Khata Bifurcation and Amalgamation in Bangalore: Checks When a Property Is Split or Merged
A khata describes one property: its owner, its measurements and its tax number. When a site is divided between two buyers, or two adjoining sites are joined into one, that record has to change shape as well. This guide explains khata bifurcation and khata amalgamation in Bangalore, the position in October 2026 and what a buyer should check before paying for part of a property or a merged one.
What Khata Bifurcation Means
Khata bifurcation is the division of one khata into two or more khatas after the property itself has been divided. A 60 x 40 site shared by two brothers under a partition deed is a common case, and so is a large site sold in two halves. After bifurcation each portion carries its own property ID, its own measurements and its own property tax account.
Until that is done, the civic record still shows a single property. The owner of one half holds a registered deed for a portion that the tax register does not yet recognise as a separate unit. Tax, loans and a later sale all become harder for that owner.
What Khata Amalgamation Means
Khata amalgamation is the reverse: two or more khatas of adjoining properties are merged into one. It arises when an owner buys the neighbouring site to build a larger house, or when a developer assembles several sites for one building. The merged property then has one khata, one property ID and one tax assessment.
Amalgamation matters most for construction. A building plan is sanctioned for the property described in a single khata, so a building planned across two sites needs them merged first. The sites must adjoin each other and be held by the same owner or owners under registered deeds.
Planning Approval Comes Before the Khata
Dividing or joining land is first a town planning matter and only then a revenue matter. The zoning regulations set conditions for a sub-division, such as a workable plot size and a road reaching every resulting plot. The planning side approves the sub-division or amalgamation, and the revenue side then updates the khata to match.
This order explains why a registered partition deed alone does not produce two khatas. The deed settles who owns which portion. The city corporation still has to accept that the division meets its rules before it opens a separate record for each part.
The Position in October 2026
Khata bifurcation in the city was largely stalled from October 2024, when the e-khata system began. A final e-khata became necessary to register a deed, and a divided portion had no e-khata of its own. Many families with partitioned sites and many buyers of part sites waited through this period.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority announced an upgraded e-Aasthi 2.0 system in September 2026, with online modules for sub-division, amalgamation and khata bifurcation. The modules are being switched on in phases from October 2026. The main points announced are listed below:
- Applications and the sub-division sketch are filed online, with Aadhaar verification of every owner
- The online route opens first for smaller properties
- Every plot created by the division must have road access
- A larger property follows the full town planning rules for a sub-division
- Sites in layouts approved by the BDA and similar authorities, and commercial units in multi-storey buildings, are also covered
The rollout is recent, and the dates and limits may change as the modules open. A buyer should confirm the current position at the revenue office of the city corporation concerned before relying on a timeline.
Documents Usually Needed
The papers follow the same logic for both processes: proof of ownership, proof that tax is paid and a drawing of the change. The usual set is listed below:
- The registered title deeds, including the partition, sale or gift deed that creates the division or brings the sites together
- The existing final e-khata of each property
- Property tax receipts paid up to date
- A sketch with measurements that shows the property before and after the change
- Aadhaar details and consent of every owner named in the khata
- A no-objection letter from the BDA for a vacant site in a BDA layout, where the office asks for one
Measurements deserve care. The total of the divided portions must equal the area in the original khata, and the boundaries in the sketch must agree with the schedules in the deeds. A gap between the two is the most common reason for a query from the office.
Why a Mismatched Khata Affects a Buyer
A khata is not a title document, yet it is used at almost every later step of ownership. The table below shows the difference between a portion with its own khata and one still recorded inside a larger entry:
| Point | Own khata for the portion | Portion inside an undivided khata |
|---|---|---|
| Registration of a sale | Proceeds on the portion's own property ID | Held up for want of a matching e-khata |
| Property tax | Billed on the portion alone | Billed on the whole, shared informally |
| Home loan | Record matches the deed | Lender is likely to raise a query |
| Building plan | Sanctioned on the portion | Needs the bifurcation first |
| Resale | Simple | The next buyer faces the same gap |
The same holds for a merged property. A house built across two sites with two separate khatas has a record that describes neither the land nor the building correctly. The seller should complete the amalgamation before the sale.
Flats, Panchayat Sites and Survey Numbers
Three related cases follow different routes. In a new apartment building, the land carries one khata until the occupancy certificate is issued, and individual flat khatas are opened after the sale deeds are registered. Two flats joined into one home remain two khatas unless the owner applies to merge them, and any structural change needs the association's and the corporation's consent.
Properties in gram panchayat limits are recorded on e-Swathu, and a division there is handled by the panchayat under its own approvals. Agricultural land is different again: part of a survey number is separated through a survey sketch and podi in the revenue records. The khata processes described above apply only inside the city corporations.
Checks Before Buying a Divided or Merged Property
The aim of each check is the same: the record should describe exactly the property being sold. The steps below suit most purchases within the city:
- Ask whether the property was ever part of a larger site or was formed by joining sites
- Read the e-khata and compare its area, dimensions and boundaries with the schedule in the sale deed
- Ask for the bifurcated or amalgamated e-khata in the seller's name, and not a khata for the larger parent property
- Trace the partition or earlier sale deed that created the portion, and confirm it is registered
- Check that every portion has its own access from a public road
- See property tax receipts for the portion itself
- Confirm with the lender, before the agreement, that it accepts the khata as it is
A physical visit with a tape measure remains useful. The dividing wall or boundary stones on the ground should match the sketch attached to the deed.
A Promise to Bifurcate After the Sale
Sellers sometimes offer to complete the bifurcation once the price is paid. After the sale, the seller has little reason to follow up, while the application still needs the seller's and the co-owners' consent. The buyer is then left to pursue it alone.
The safer course is to make the corrected khata a condition in the sale agreement, with the balance payable only when it is issued. Where the timeline is tight, a part of the price may be held back until the separate e-khata is in hand. Our team helps buyers read these records, and is available through the contact page.
