RTI for Karnataka Housing Board: Plot & Flat Allotment, Lottery Results & Possession Delay

The Karnataka Housing Board (KHB) is a statutory body established under the Karnataka Housing Board Act, 1962. It functions under the Housing Department, Government of Karnataka, and is responsible for constructing and allotting residential plots and apartments to citizens across Karnataka — particularly for economically weaker section (EWS), low-income group (LIG), middle-income group (MIG), and higher-income group (HIG) applicants. KHB operates major housing schemes in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mangaluru, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, and other urban centres across the state. It also runs residential site allotment schemes for 30x40, 40x60, and 50x80 plots under various township and layout programmes.

Given the high demand for KHB housing — schemes are routinely oversubscribed by factors of ten or more — allottees frequently face problems ranging from opacity in lottery draw procedures and unjustified cancellations to prolonged delays in possession and complications with refunds. KHB is a state public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005, and is fully bound by the disclosure obligations the Act imposes. Citizens can use RTI to obtain precise, certified information on any aspect of their allotment, scheme administration, payment records, or refund — and to create a documented basis for formal complaints or legal proceedings.

What KHB Records Are Available via RTI?

The RTI Act, 2005, entitles citizens to inspect and obtain copies of records held by public authorities. For KHB, the following categories of records are directly obtainable via RTI:

Allotment Status and Registration Records

• Your current application status — active, waitlisted, allotted, cancelled, or rejected — under a specific KHB scheme and registration number, along with the reason and date of any status change
• The total number of applications received in your category for the scheme and the total number of plots or flats offered in your category
• Copies of any allotment letter, demand notice, allotment agreement, or cancellation notice issued in your name
• Details of any show-cause notice issued before cancellation, your response (if any), and the authority who took the final cancellation decision
• The refund amount outstanding and the current processing status if your allotment was cancelled

Lottery Draw Records

KHB allots plots and flats through a computerised or manual draw of lots when applications exceed available units. RTI can surface:

• The date, venue, and methodology of the lottery draw for a specific scheme and scheme year
• The number of valid (screened and accepted) applications in each category and the number of units offered per category
• The range or list of application numbers drawn in each category (if names are restricted for privacy, application numbers and category information are still disclosable)
• The name and designation of the officer who presided over the draw, the composition of any draw committee, and the presence of any independent observers
• Minutes of the draw proceedings or any board resolution that approved the draw methodology

Installment Payment Records and Outstanding Dues

• Your complete installment schedule — the amount, due date, and grace period for each installment under your allotment agreement
• The dates and reference numbers of all payment receipts issued by KHB against payments made by you
• The current outstanding balance or any interest/penalty charges accrued due to delayed payment, and the basis on which such interest or penalty was computed
• Correspondence from KHB regarding payment defaults or demand notices, and any one-time settlement scheme details applicable to your case

Possession Delay and Compensation Records

KHB housing schemes frequently face delays in site development, infrastructure provision, or construction before possession can be handed over to allottees. RTI can provide:

• The originally promised possession date or timeline communicated to allottees in the scheme brochure, allotment letter, or agreement
• The current stage of site development or construction and the revised possession schedule, if any
• The specific reasons recorded by KHB for delay — contractor default, land acquisition dispute, court orders, utility connections, approval delays, or other causes
• Whether KHB has a policy or board resolution for paying delay compensation (interest on installments paid, rental equivalent, or reduction in balance amount) and the calculation methodology for such compensation

Scheme Eligibility Criteria and Selection Process Documents

• The complete eligibility conditions for a KHB scheme — income ceiling per category, domicile requirements, minimum years of residence in Karnataka, property or site ownership disqualification, occupation restrictions, and any special reservations
• The basis for assigning priority among applicants — whether by date of application, points, draw of lots, or a hybrid system — and the government order or board resolution approving the priority rules
• The scheme brochure, application format, and any corrigenda or amendments issued after the original notification
• The allotment committee composition and the minutes of the meeting that approved the allotment list

Refund Status for Cancelled Allotments

• The date on which your refund application or cancellation request was registered by KHB
• The total amount to be refunded (principal paid, less any administrative deductions, with interest if applicable under KHB policy)
• The date on which the refund was approved or sanctioned, the cheque/demand draft number or NEFT/RTGS reference, and the dispatch or credit date
• If the refund is pending, the current stage of processing and the officer responsible for the delay
• KHB's policy on refund timelines and interest on delayed refunds, including any applicable government orders

How to File RTI with KHB

Step 1: Identify Your Information Need

Decide precisely what you want to know — your allotment status, the lottery draw methodology, your payment history, the reasons for possession delay, or the status of a refund. Frame each query as a specific, numbered request. Vague or omnibus requests ("provide all documents related to my file") are harder to enforce and often receive incomplete responses.

Step 2: Draft Your Application

Use the sample application provided above as the base. Fill in your scheme name, registration or allotment number, category, and the specific information points relevant to your situation. If you are not a KHB applicant yourself but a prospective applicant or public interest researcher seeking information about scheme administration, omit personal applicant details and keep only the relevant information requests about scheme eligibility criteria, draw records, or policy documents.

Step 3: File Online or in Person

KHB is a Karnataka state public authority. The primary filing portal for Karnataka state RTI applications is the Karnataka RTI online portal at rtionline.karnataka.gov.in, which supports online filing and fee payment. You may also visit KHB's own portal at khb.karnataka.gov.in for information on the SPIO's address and any departmental RTI filing mechanism. Alternatively, submit a physical application by registered post or in person to the State Public Information Officer, Karnataka Housing Board, Cauvery Bhavan, Bengaluru. Pay the ₹10 fee by Indian Postal Order, demand draft in favour of "Karnataka Housing Board," or via online payment on the Karnataka RTI portal. BPL cardholders are exempt from the fee; attach a self-attested copy of your BPL ration card.

Step 4: Track Your Application

The SPIO must respond within 30 days of receipt under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005. If the information requested involves life or liberty, the deadline is 48 hours under the Section 7(1) proviso. Keep the acknowledgement number or postal receipt as proof of filing. If the SPIO needs to transfer your application to another public authority for part of the information sought, they must do so within five days (Section 6(3)) and inform you of the transfer.

Step 5: Appeals

If KHB does not respond within 30 days or the response is incomplete, incorrect, or evasive:

• First Appeal under Section 19(1): File with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) designated within KHB. The appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of the decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. No fee is payable.
• Second Appeal under Section 19(3): If the FAA's response is also absent or unsatisfactory, file with the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC) — the state information commission constituted under Section 15 of the RTI Act — within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the FAA's response period. No fee is payable. The KIC can direct KHB to furnish the information and impose a penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000) on the SPIO personally under Section 20 of the RTI Act.

Why KHB Appeals Go to KIC, Not CIC

KHB is a state public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005 — it is constituted under a Karnataka state statute (the Karnataka Housing Board Act, 1962), funded by the Government of Karnataka, and controlled by the Karnataka Housing Department. All RTI appeals from KHB remain entirely within the Karnataka state system:

• First Appeal: First Appellate Authority (FAA), Karnataka Housing Board, Bengaluru
• Second Appeal: Karnataka Information Commission (KIC) — constituted under Section 15 of the RTI Act for Karnataka state public authorities

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has no jurisdiction over KHB or any other Karnataka state body. Filing a second appeal with the CIC instead of the KIC will result in the complaint being returned as not maintainable. Always address your second appeal to the KIC.

This also distinguishes KHB from Central Government housing bodies such as DDA (Delhi), HUDA (Haryana), or any Central government-funded housing scheme administered by MoHUA — those use the CIC for second appeal. KHB is unambiguously a Karnataka state body.

Tips for an Effective KHB RTI Application

• Always include your scheme name, registration number, and allotment number (where applicable). KHB administers dozens of schemes simultaneously; an RTI without these identifiers will typically produce a response that the information cannot be located or is too broad to answer.
• Ask for certified copies of specific documents — the allotment letter, lottery draw proceedings, installment schedule, payment receipts, and cancellation order — rather than asking KHB to "explain" or "clarify" a decision. Certified copies are admissible as evidence before consumer courts, the Karnataka Lokayukta, or in civil proceedings.
• If seeking compensation for possession delay, explicitly ask whether KHB has a board resolution, government order, or scheme-specific policy on delay compensation and the formula for computing it. This forces KHB to either disclose the policy or confirm in writing that none exists — both of which are useful in a legal or consumer forum.
• Specify the time period for any request about payment records or scheme administration to limit scope and ensure a complete response.
• If your refund is pending, ask separately for the current stage of processing, the officer responsible, and KHB's policy on interest for delayed refunds. A written KHB response confirming a refund is pending — with the processing stage — substantially strengthens a consumer complaint or a complaint to the Karnataka Lokayukta.
• Cross-check your lottery result by asking for both the methodology (manual or computerised) and the application number range drawn in your category. If the methodology was not transparent or the draw proceedings were not documented, that is itself an RTI-disclosable failure of process.