Hyderabad property survey can prevent encroachment, help digital door numbering

The GIS mapping and drone survey being undertaken by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) for enhancement of revenues, could also help in arresting the encroachment attempts on government lands/properties and lakes. Further, it could also move forward the digital door numbering project which has been long overdue, officials say.

Officials from the Revenue wing of GHMC informed that the two-year maintenance period of the agency taking up the survey would include dynamic identification of encroachments as and when they occur, so that action could be taken as soon as possible.

The agency carrying out the task at a cost of close to ₹22 crore has a project period of 18 months, after which it must fulfil operation and maintenance of the application for an additional two years.

“As of now, we have merely 19 lakh assessed properties. We are expecting that the survey would add at least 5-6 lakh new properties, and at conservative estimates, would bring in about ₹1,000-1,500 crore additional revenue,” Additional Commissioner (Revenue) Sneha Shabarish said.

Unassessed properties as well as underassessed properties would be scanned under the project, which, for the first time in the State, uses GIS coordinates to map the properties, she said. The project is carried out in three stages — GIS mapping, drone survey and door to door survey — all to be done by the third party agency.

The 650-square kilometre of area under GHMC has been divided into parcels as part of the satellite mapping, which has been completed. The drone survey is presently on, under which 60 square kilometre have been covered, in Patancheru, Gajularamaram-Suraram, Chandanagar and Hydernagar areas.

For door-to-door survey, a mobile application has been designed, which is yet to be finalised. Unassessed and underassessed properties will be physically assessed and fed into the app, after which another round of verification by GHMC staff will be taken up if the gap in terms of square footage is high, or any other discrepancy.

The project will also simplify the digital door numbering project, and generate a QR code for each property, so that finding any address will become easier, Ms. Shabarish said.