Karnataka has passed eight Bills covering property registration, rural properties, park land, land revenue, commercial establishments, Bengaluru’s transport administration, industrial facilitation and GST. Major changes under the provisions include allowing e-Registration and remote registration of some compulsory registrable documents, bringing certain unapproved rural properties within the regulatory framework of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, and introducing additional checks and digital systems for property registration.One of the major changes concerns the use of park land, with the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, allowing up to five per cent of park land to be alienated for public utility projects, subject to specified conditions and an expert evaluation mechanism.The other Bills also provide for changes ranging from assigning officers to conduct enquiries under the Land Revenue Act to decriminalising certain offences for commercial establishments and ensuring continuity in administrative decision-making to address Bengaluru’s mobility challenges.
Here’s what the new Bills mean for property owners
- Remote property registration: The Registration (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2026, allows e-Registration and remote registration of some compulsory registrable documents without the physical presence of either party at the Sub-Registrar’s office.
- More checks during registration: The Sub-Registrar will undertake due diligence at the time of property registration, while property software will be integrated to prevent illegal registration of properties in urban areas.
- Digital access to documents: Certified copies will be made available through a centralised virtual distribution system to avoid delays.
- Action against portal manipulation: The Bill provides for penalties for fraudulently manipulating or hacking the Department’s portal or software.
- Unapproved rural properties: The Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Second Amendment) Bill seeks to bring properties in rural areas without proper approval within the regulatory framework of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, with the aim of controlling such properties in the interest of public safety and health.
What changes for Karnataka’s parks and green spaces?
The Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, amends the 1975 Act governing prominent Bengaluru green spaces, including Cubbon Park and Lalbagh.The amendment allows the state government to alienate park land through sale, lease, gift, exchange, mortgage or otherwise, subject to an absolute ceiling of five per cent of the total area.The main safeguards and provisions are:
- Five per cent ceiling: Park land can be alienated only up to five per cent of the total area and only in favour of government departments, statutory authorities, government companies or local authorities for public utility projects.
- Previously alienated land included: The five per cent limit will include all land that has already been alienated.
- Expert evaluation: A mechanism headed by the Additional Chief Secretary, along with designated officers and expert domain professionals, will evaluate proposals before any recommendation is made to the state government.
- Horticulture Department excluded: Standard developments by the Horticulture Department for its own administrative and allied use will remain outside the five per cent restriction.
- Horticulture Farms: A specialised legal pathway will allow minimal areas within Horticulture Farms to be used for core Horticulture Projects.
“This includes post-processing facilities, cold storage units, production of improved varieties, and agro-based industries directly beneficial to the local farming community, backed by recorded reasons demonstrating public interest and absolute necessity,” it added.
Other Bills passed by the Assembly
The Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill empowers the state government to assign by order any officer to enquire into, study or research matters related to the provisions of the Act.The Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill aims to decriminalise and rationalise offences and further enhance trust-based governance for ease of living and doing business.It also provides for compounding of offences and appeals. Establishments already registered under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, will be exempt from registration. The Bill also provides for electronic or digital payment of fees, issuance of service certificates and prohibition of retention of documents.The Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (Amendment) Bill was passed to ensure continuity in administrative decision-making in view of the need to decongest traffic and address Bengaluru’s mobility challenges.The Karnataka Industries (Facilitation) (Amendment) Bill and the Karnataka Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill were also passed by the Assembly.