The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has finished close to 33% of the Geo enabled tax survey of properties with a view towards automating its entire system of property tax assessments. The PMC is expected to finish the remainder of the task within the next 6 months itself. Suhas Mapari, the head of the property tax department, has stated that there are close to 8 lakh properties in the city and the corporation is undertaking this GIS (Geographic Information System) base mapping exercise for calibrating un-assessed yet identified properties and also for increasing its own revenues.
According to Mapari, the PMC’s standing committee has given its approval for proceeding with this project and close to 2.5 lakh properties have already been surveyed accordingly. The PMC officials have also met the contractor recently and issued instructions to complete the assignment within the next 6 months itself according to him. Door to door surveys are being executed by the Pune Municipal Corporation for completing the GIS mapping exercise and the necessary data is then being inputted into the software at hand. This task is grueling and strenuous but it would be hugely beneficial for the civic body once it is completed. This is because all necessary details will easily be available with a click.
Mapari also stated that one of the biggest revenue sources for any municipal body is property tax collections. For getting the right realization of revenues, GIS enabled applications and technologies will be hugely effective according to him and hence this decision to proceed with the GIS mapping exercise for Pune. There are several properties in the city which are un-assessed still now and every year, there remains a debate as to how many of these properties are paying their taxes. With the GIS project of the municipal corporation, several defaulters owning un-assessed properties or illegal properties in Pune will be clearly identified. Once this survey is finished, the data obtained will help in zeroing in on the exact locations of these properties.
Municipal corporation sources have confirmed that the property tax department will also provide another proposal for the standing committee. This proposal pertains to the plans of the department to offer money to this contractor in a phase-wise manner for implementation of the GIS mapping exercise. It was earlier decided to pay the full amount to the contractor once the project will be finished.
