Lucknow Satellite mapping of municipal areas using the Geographical Information System (GIS) has resulted in a major increase in the revenue of several municipal corporations.
So far, Kanpur Nagar Nigam (KNN) is benefitting the most from this technology, as its annual house tax collection has increased by Rs 102 crore after GIS mapping was completed in the city four months ago. Earlier, the annual house tax collection in Kanpur was Rs 28 crore. In Moradabad, annual house tax collection has increased by Rs 17 crore. In Varanasi, the hike is Rs 18 crore.
Moreover, municipal corporations in Allahabad and Agra - where GIS mapping is being conducted - are likely to get an Rs 12-crore each increase in house tax collection annually.
Following this, the state government has directed other municipal corporations to get GIS mapping done to ensure that properties that were not in the ambit of house tax could be identified.
With the help of GIS, corporations also have to make provisions for online payment of house tax.
"In the GIS mapping of Kanpur, over 1.40 lakh new buildings have come in the ambit of house tax. Most of these buildings are commercial," said KNN Commissioner Rajeev Sharma.
With the increase in revenue, municipal corporations will be able to spend more on development works, said Rekha Gupta, Director of Local Bodies.
Kanpur and Moradabad have made online the details of each property that has been given a unique identity number. "Using the identity number, a property owner could calculate his house tax seeing the dimensions of his house and the local land rate. He could deposit the tax online," said Sharma.
Using GIS mapping, KNN has also identified bulk of land that was lying unused or was under encroachment.
Moradabad Additional Municipal Commissioner B B Banerjee said: "We are using GIS mapping for asset management and urban planning. It might also help in calculating emergency response time in the event of a natural disaster." In Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Bareilly too, GIS mapping of municipal areas is under progress.
Source: Express India
