Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Feb 27: The Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has shelved the much-needed and much-awaited drone mapping survey of the city limits citing lack of funds.

Although a highly significant 3D digital drone survey was planned to obtain complete details of all 60 wards of Mangaluru city and to assess private and government properties — a first-of-its-kind initiative in Karnataka — it is unlikely to be carried out for now. The corporation had planned the survey to make tax collection more effective and to prepare a comprehensive and information-rich record of the city. The key objectives of the survey included inch-by-inch mapping of the city through cameras, documentation of all properties, monitoring violations of building setback rules, and keeping a watch on encroachments of stormwater drains. However, the corporation has now dropped the project citing shortage of funds.

Drone mapping was initially a pilot project. The plan was to first conduct the survey in a 3 sq km area in the central part of Mangaluru city and later extend it to the entire city. The Mangaluru City Corporation, through Hyderabad-based XYZ Innovation Technologies, carried out an initial survey starting from Hampankatta Clock Tower, covering the railway station, deputy commissioner’s office, a portion of the port area, and stretching via Car Street up to Canara College, covering a distance of about 4.5 km. The survey clearly captured comprehensive details of the surveyed area, including good and bad roads, drainage, roads, streetlights, footpaths, garbage bins, government buildings, buildings under construction, parks, playgrounds, water tanks, and roadside hoardings.

Drone surveys have so far been conducted only in Delhi, Mumbai, Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh, and in some private projects. Otherwise, surveys are generally conducted by people physically moving around the city.

Citing the need for additional funds, the corporation has abandoned the project for now. The GPS-based 3D survey was intended to bring private and government properties (houses, sites, commercial buildings, industrial buildings, etc.) under the property tax ambit. The private agency that won the tender was to input the data and hand it over to the corporation. Corporation officials had undergone training in Hyderabad and a pilot survey was conducted after obtaining drone survey data from them. The pilot survey for 3 sq km cost about Rs 1 lac, while the complete survey is estimated to cost around Rs 35 lac. Additional funds would also be required, and hence the corporation has currently dropped the survey project.

“The private company that conducted the pilot survey presented an online demo through a web portal. This method enables surveys to be conducted in a very short time and at a lower cost. If special funds are received from the government, the GPS-based 3D survey project will be taken up again,” said Ravichandra Naik, commissioner, Mangaluru City Corporation.