Bengaluru civic body’s reminder of Aug 20 deadline sends e-khata holders into tizzy | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: Many senior citizens are pressing the panic button after receiving sms alerts from the BBMP reminding them to file an appeal or pay for their e-khata with revised property tax. Several have tried reaching the Assistant Revenue Officer’s office and sharing their woes, but their pleas fell on deaf ears, leaving them anxious.The sms, sent to multiple property owners, reads: “Dear taxpayer, reminder your property SAS ID 14XXXXXX93 was issued a show cause notice on 21 July 2025. This is a reminder to show cause by 20 August 2024. You can file an objection/appeal, if any, on within 20 August 2025. — BBMP” The mixed-up dates and legal language have only added to the confusion. “It has become a challenge to even get a lawyer to file an appeal. The eNyaya portal is barely functional, and the server is so slow. Why are we suffering like this because of BBMP’s negligence? They have no clarity and are not supportive of anything. There are numerous residents reaching out to me daily on this issue, and I’m clueless on how to help them. If it were one or two, I could handle it, but with so many senior citizens, each with a different problem, it is overwhelming,” said Sudhakar Shetty, BBMP ward member of Chokkasandra.Senior citizens say the barrage of texts feels like harassment. “I have never defaulted on my property tax. Suddenly, I got an sms saying I have a showcause notice. My health is already fragile; this has left me sleepless,” said 74-year-old Narayanaswamy Patil of Rajajinagar.“What worries me most is the short deadline. The portal doesn’t work, the BBMP office says they are ‘looking into it’, and I’m left in limbo,” said 68-year-old Padma Ranga, a retired teacher from Malleswaram. Another resident, 72-year-old Chandrashekar Rao from JP Nagar, said he got three identical reminders in a week. “It feels like harassment. These officials haven’t even inspected and are charging such heavy penalties, why should I pay so much? Nobody is helping me either. The govt needs to find better sources to make money instead of troubling citizens.” A revenue official said: “There are two ways to look at this situation—pay the penalty or get an appeal. Else, there will be heavier penalties.”