Delhi MCD’s new property tax drive: Drones to map buildings and spot discrepancies
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has begun a pilot drone survey of properties in two wards as part of an effort to improve property tax assessment and identify properties that may have been left unassessed or under-assessed.
According to officials, the first phase of the aerial survey is being conducted in Rohini F Ward of Rohini Zone and Gharoli Ward of Shahdara South Zone, news agency PTI reported.
The civic body plans to combine drone imagery with technologies including GIS, LiDAR-based mapping, geo-tagging, artificial intelligence and 3D digital modelling to build a more detailed property database.
What the MCD wants to identify
The technology-based exercise will allow the MCD to examine existing property records against aerial and mapped data. Officials said the system can help identify incorrectly mapped or duplicate records, as well as additional floors or constructions that may not appear in existing records.
The system will also allow the civic body to compare the declared built-up area with the actual built-up area.
Property assessment can then take into account factors such as the size of the built-up area, number of floors and the property’s usage, officials said.
Less manual inspection, more digital monitoring
The MCD expects the integrated system to reduce its reliance on manual property inspections, PTI report further said.
Ward- and zone-level dashboards will allow officials to monitor discrepancies, issue notices and track property tax arrears and recovery, according to the civic body.
The use of digital mapping could also give the MCD a consolidated view of properties across different areas and help officials track changes that may affect assessment.
What it could mean for Delhi residents
For property owners and residents, the MCD expects the initiative to bring greater transparency to property records while reducing the need for physical interaction with civic officials, news agency reported.
The GIS-based system is also expected to support faster grievance redressal, as property-related information can be mapped and accessed digitally.
The MCD has clarified that the drone survey is a technological mapping and verification exercise. Information generated through the process will be used for assessment and administrative purposes in accordance with applicable rules.
The current survey is being conducted as a pilot in the two identified wards, with the exercise forming the first phase of the MCD’s broader technology-driven approach to property assessment.
