CSMC gears up to convince citizens opposing property survey

Lokmat News Network Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) has begun inspecting whether each property in the city has been taxed or not. In some areas, there is strong opposition to this process. Where there is resistance, the civic authorities are persuading the residents and continuing the survey.

The state government has ordered the municipal corporation to increase its revenue. However, the administration has never paid serious attention to this matter. Now, the administrator has set a target of collecting Rs 500 crore through property tax and water tax, which has led to increased collections. Complaints have emerged that many properties were not being taxed, prompting the corporation to decide to inspect each property. Thirty-five engineers have been appointed for this task, surveying around 2,000 properties daily. According to sources, the survey is being conducted with persuasion where needed, and no surveys have been halted. In some areas, citizens are cooperating with the administration.

GIS survey left incomplete

The Smart City initiative used drone cameras to photograph properties throughout the city, identifying around 300,000 properties. In 2022, a company called MX Info from Ahmedabad was hired to conduct site inspections of these properties. The company surveyed 150,000 properties but left the work incomplete. Now, the remaining survey work is being completed.

Advanced technology proves beneficial

The CSMC and Smart City have conducted GIS mapping, creating a map based on drone and satellite imagery. The drone and satellite survey has already been completed, and the satellite map has been received from the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) in Hyderabad.