GIS survey teams face abuse from city residents

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 17

In many untoward incidents, teams conducting the survey for the Geographic Information System (GIS) in the city are facing continuous abuse and manhandling by residents.

The Municipal Corporation of Jalandhar has decided to take up GIS mapping of the capital to improve the municipal tax collection and to identify municipal tax defaulters. The entire exercise of municipal tax and fee improvement was taken up to “increase the coverage of under assessed and un-assessed properties by 90%”. Without any increase in taxes, it is expected that the current revenue of the MC will increase multifold. However, it seems that the plans of the civic body have hit a major roadblock.

Sources in the civic body said that the teams sent by the consultants were facing physical and verbal abuse everyday. In Sector 7 of Hardyal Nagar, a resident tore apart the survey form and the team was thrashed and sent back after the interference of a local leader.

Also, the team faced opposition and was told to produce the authorisation letter by area residents. A majority of the shopkeepers at Rainak Bazaar too refused to provide property details to the team for the GIS mapping. The teams are also facing problems on a daily basis in areas like Rishi Nagar, Urban Estate, Model Town and old city areas.

The problem has not only affected the morale of the survey team but also caused a long delay in the completion of the projects. Despite informing the civic body about the resistance being faced by the consultant, the survey teams were not provided any security by the civic body. Also, no efforts were made to inform and make people aware so that they could cooperate with the team members.

Presently, there are around 2.25 lakh houses in the city for which the consultant has to conduct the survey. However, with construction going in full bloom nowadays, the number of houses is expected to increase up to 3 lakhs. According to sources in Darashaw and Company, the company conducting the GIS survey in the city, over 60 to 65 per cent houses have been covered in the survey.

“We humbly request and fervently hope to seek everyone’s support to allow us to conduct the GIS survey. As we are pursuing the mandate of the MCJ which is in the larger interest of the city and each one it hosts, once implemented, every reisdent will reap its benefits,” said officials at Darashaw. He further added that after the completion of the GIS survey, the residents could enjoy long-term benefits that include sustainable planning, coordination, development, monitoring, spontaneity in service and most importantly Internet and intranet connectivity.