Karnataka passes eight bills reshaping property, parks and transport administration

Karnataka’s assembly cleared eight bills that overhaul how property and land matters are handled across the state. The Registration (Karnataka Amendment) Bill enables electronic and remote registration of compulsory documents, adds stricter due-diligence checks, and creates a central virtual system for certified copies, with penalties for portal tampering. Rural properties lacking prior approval will now fall under the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act via the Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj amendment.

The Government Parks (Preservation) amendment allows the alienation of up to five percent of park land for government or local-authority public-utility projects, subject to an expert evaluation panel headed by the Additional Chief Secretary. Other statutes empower the government to appoint officers for land-revenue inquiries, de-criminalise certain commercial-establishment violations, and streamline digital fee payments, while the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority amendment seeks to maintain decision-making continuity to ease traffic congestion. The Karnataka Industries and GST amendment bills were also enacted.