Pune: Drone Survey by PCMC Expected to Boost Revenue with 2 Lakh New Properties
Reported By Varad Bhatkhande
Pimpri Chinchwad, 8th July 2024: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has initiated a drone survey of properties across the city. The administration anticipates discovering around two lakh unrecorded properties through this survey, which will be brought under tax regulations, leading to an increase in revenue.
The survey commenced at Hindustan Antibiotics Sports Ground in Pimpri with drones deployed for aerial mapping. Property tax constitutes a significant portion of PCMC’s income, with the city currently housing 6,30,000 properties. In the fiscal year 2023-24, the Taxation and Tax Collection Department collected Rs. 977 crores in taxes. The number of properties in Pimpri Chinchwad continues to rise steadily. However, past surveys have revealed that many properties remain unregistered in the PCMC records.
Past surveys conducted by PCMC in 2013 and 2021 identified 35 thousand and 21 thousand new properties, respectively. Despite these efforts, there remains a possibility of numerous unregistered properties in Pimpri Chinchwad. Hence, PCMC has opted to employ cutting-edge drone technology for the first time to conduct this survey. Drone technology ensures precise measurements of each property, facilitating the inclusion of unregistered properties into the tax system. Furthermore, it will help identify unauthorized constructions, contributing to better urban planning and management.
Apart from property surveys, drones will be utilized for Disaster Management, Building Permission and Unauthorised Construction Control, Skysign and License Department monitoring across Pimpri Chinchwad.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Government of India, has approved a drone survey to bring all properties under the tax purview in Pimpri Chinchwad city. As a result, the surveying of properties across the entire city has commenced using advanced drone technology. PCMC Commissioner Shekhar Singh has claimed that PCMC is the first Municipal Corporation in Maharashtra authorized to conduct drone surveys with official approval from the central government.
Architectural & Engineering Consultants India Pvt Ltd has been appointed for the drone survey. Currently, PCMC possesses satellite images of the city with a resolution of 30 to 50 cm per pixel. However, following the drone survey, images with a resolution of five cm per pixel will be available. This enhancement ensures that no incremental construction or new properties will remain hidden from the property tax ambit.
Nilesh Deshmukh, Assistant Commissioner of the Taxation and Tax Collection Department at PCMC, stated, “A preliminary estimate suggests that around two lakh new properties will be brought under the tax ambit after the drone survey. Hence, PCMC’s revenue is expected to reach one and a half thousand crore rupees shortly.”
