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The Karnataka Revenue Department is cracking down on illegal residential layouts created using "11E maps" meant for legitimate land partitioning. Many such plots, often under one gunta, were sold without converting agricultural land, bypassing norms and lacking basic infrastructure. Investigations revealed collusion between landowners and officials, leading to seizures of illicit sites and suspensions of complicit officers. Under the "Swavalambi" initiative, hundreds of cases involved improper regularisation. Deputy Commissioners are now reviewing over 30,000 suspected instances for swift legal action. Weekly progress reviews, combined with digital tools like the 'Beat' app, geofencing, and Bhoomi-Kaveri systems, aim to ensure transparency and curb future violations.
The Karnataka Revenue Department has intensified its efforts to curb the illegal development of residential plots across the state. In many cases, individuals have misused "11E maps," originally intended for legitimate land partitioning, to create tiny plots often less than one gunta and sell them without proper legal conversion. These unauthorised layouts frequently lack essential infrastructure, posing long-term challenges to urban planning and civic management. Advertisement
Investigations, ongoing for several months, uncovered troubling collusion between landowners and officials who bypassed conversion norms. As a result, authorities have begun seizing illicit layouts and imposing disciplinary action on officials found complicit in these violations. A few responsible officers have already been suspended.
Data gathered since late last year includes hundreds of cases under the "Swavalambi" initiative, where 11E maps were issued without conversion and later regularised through phodi durasthi or corrections in land records allowing sales to proceed illegally. A noted example from Mandya district illustrates how one application, filed under this scheme, transformed several small plots into dozens of residential sites without converting agricultural land, a clear violation of conversion norms.
Authorities are now demanding swift action. Deputy Commissioners have been instructed to review over 30,000 suspected instances, verify them on the ground, and report back within a week. Based on these findings, further seizures and legal proceedings will follow.
The department is also implementing weekly progress reviews to ensure accountability.The crackdown recalls past efforts to recover illegal encroachments. For instance, millions of acres of government land have been reclaimed using tools like the 'Beat' app, geofencing, and data from digitised systems such as Bhoomi and Kaveri.These earlier operations underscored the value of digital tracking and transparency in preventing land misuse a lesson now central to the current approach.
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