Karnataka has rolled out a major reform in land administration by introducing an auto land conversion system, a move that the state’s revenue department says will ease approvals, cut delays, and strengthen property ownership.
“The Government has done away with the requirement for separate land conversion in areas covered under the published comprehensive development plan (CDP) within the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). Landowners who are developers can now directly apply for plan approval as per the master plan, and land conversion will be carried out automatically as part of the plan approval process,” the state’s revenue department said in a statement on February 7.
Land conversion means changing the official status of land from agricultural use to non-agricultural use, which is required before it can be legally developed for housing, commercial projects, or layouts.
Speaking after releasing the new ‘Land Auto Conversion’ software for land within the GBA jurisdiction at Vidhana Soudha on February 7, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said, "Till now, conversion of land was required even in areas falling inside the master plan. Despite the ‘deemed conversion,’ this process was taking 4-6 months and allowing middlemen to exploit developers. Delay, harassment, corruption and cost increases were ultimately burdening the common public who are site-buyers. This was also bringing disrepute to the government and the revenue department."
What does this new auto land conversion mean?
Revenue department officials said the government has removed the requirement for a separate land conversion process for properties located within areas covered by an officially published comprehensive development plan (CDP) in the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) region.
Under the revised system, property owners and developers no longer need to obtain a standalone conversion order before moving ahead with development. Instead, they can apply directly for building or layout plan approvals in line with the applicable master plan. Once the planning authority processes and approves the proposal, land conversion is deemed to have taken place automatically as part of the same approval cycle, according to department officials.
According to officials, the change is aimed at cutting procedural delays and eliminating duplication in approvals that earlier slowed down projects despite land already being earmarked for urban use under statutory plans. By integrating land conversion with plan sanctions, the government expects faster clearances, reduced administrative burden, and greater certainty for developers and property owners operating within the GBA limits.
How will it impact real estate in the city?
The revenue department said in the statement that the introduction of auto-conversion in master plan areas is intended to promote planned urban development while significantly improving ease of doing business in Bengaluru’s real estate sector. Earlier, even parcels clearly falling within approved master plans were required to undergo a separate land conversion process, despite the legal concept of “deemed conversion.”