Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jan 30: The Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has launched a property survey drive in the Attavar, Padavu and Hampankatta wards, and the initiative has now crossed 25 days. Officials said that it would take around 50 more days to complete the survey in these wards. Once the pilot survey proves successful, the corporation plans to extend the same model to all 60 wards of the city.

There are about 2.22 lac properties within the corporation limits, and the survey has been initiated to bring greater transparency. In many cases, the size of houses has changed over time, and residential plots have been converted into apartment complexes. The survey aims to capture these changes and ensure transparent tax collection.

Officials explained that if the survey were handed over entirely to a private agency, the agency might lack adequate understanding of the city’s geographical layout. Hence, the corporation has chosen to conduct the survey in three wards using its own staff.

A few outsourced personnel have been engaged, and door-to-door surveys are being carried out. The pilot exercise is intended to study the survey process in detail and prepare an effective action plan for a larger survey later. Some property owners have declared their tax details correctly, while others have discrepancies. A house-to-house survey will help clearly identify such issues.

Meanwhile, the corporation is facing a shortage of bill collectors. Against a sanctioned strength of 45, only seven to eight bill collectors are currently available. Managing the entire corporation area with such limited staff has become difficult. Due to this shortage, it has been challenging to maintain accurate records on the number, size, and location of properties. As a result, the survey has been taken up on a pilot basis in three wards.

Although there was a proposal to conduct a 3D digital drone survey to obtain complete details of all 60 wards, including an assessment of private and government properties, the plan is unlikely to be implemented at present.

The survey was envisioned to improve tax collection efficiency and create a comprehensive data record of the city. It was planned as a GPS-based 3D survey covering private and government properties such as houses, sites, commercial buildings, and industrial structures. A private firm selected through tender was expected to collect and submit the data to the corporation. However, as the project requires additional funding, its implementation remains uncertain. For now, the corporation has opted for a manual, door-to-door survey using its own officials.

The property survey has been initiated in the Attavar, Padavu and Hampankatta wards, with corporation teams visiting houses to collect details related to properties and taxes. Areas with high population density and significant commercial and industrial activity have been selected for the pilot.

Clarifying the tax aspect, Akshatha, deputy commissioner (revenue), MCC, said that the existing property tax system will continue for now. However, if changes in property usage or structure are found during the survey, taxes will be levied accordingly.