Date:07/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/07/stories/2008080757280100.htm

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GIS mapping exercise goes for a toss

HYDERABAD: There could be more properties in the core area of the city compared to the available data with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC)! This has long been suspected but preliminary confirmation has come through surveys conducted by private agencies in the former MCH jurisdiction.

Ironically, the work was for the GIS project, which is yet to see the light of the day! The project entails a comprehensive survey for mapping properties and utilities for an integrated GIS system to help the GHMC have precise data of all residential and commercial properties for tax collection, town planning, etc.

However, work on the Rs 3 crore worth project has been hit by lack of interest and initiative by officials of the Information Technology (IT). It is headed by an Additional Commissioner also handling parks and advertisements.

Information collected by the six agencies entrusted with the GIS work on properties is significant because they have enumerated about 5.4 lakh properties in six circles with the agency handling circle four (Mehdipatnam, Karwan and other areas) having abandoned the job.

There are about 6.5 lakh properties as per official records in the former MCH’s seven circles.

“We have to crosscheck information gathered by the agencies. Our men will do a survey of a locality in each circle. If more than 50 per cent information is correct, we can easily plug the gaps otherwise we will have to do a total re-survey,” said an official.

The GIS project was to have been completed in six months but two years since then, the GHMC has not bothered to follow up whatever data has been gathered by the agencies till now.